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^be Students' Series of Gnglisb Classics 

TENNYSON'S 

GARETH AND LYNETTE LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

THE PASSING OF ARTHUR 

EDITED 

WITH INTRODUCTION AND NOTES 

BY 

KATHARINE LEE BATES 

Wellesley College 
Arthurus, rex quondam^ rexque futurm 



-o-o;*;o«- 



SIBLEY & COMPANY 
BOSTON CHICAGO 

J '7 0S':. , 



LIBRARY of CONGRESS 


Two Copies Received 


DEC 11 1905 


^ ^Copyricht Entry _ 


CLASS CX XXc. No. 
COPY B. 



Copyright, 1905, 
By SIBLEY & COMPANY. 






Norfajfooti T^xtVi 

J. S. Gushing & Co. — Berwick & Smith Co. 

Norwood, Mass., U.S.A. 






PREFACE 



This edition of certain Idylls of the King is more fully 
annotated than the college requirement in itself demands, 
but behind these modern poems lies such a wealth of 
mediaeval romance, such a vast playground for the imagi- 
nation, that it seemed desirable to suggest it through the 
notes. The hope has been to have these notes, which 
consist largely of illustrative quotations from Malory, 
Crestien de Troyes, and other romancers, deepen, rather 
than dim, the golden atmosphere of the Arthurian world, 
— that world to which, for most of us, Tennyson first 
gave the Open Sesame. 

The groups of questions have been added at the request 
of teachers. 



OONTEE'TS 



PAGE 

Introduction 1 

I. A Brief Life of Tennyson .... 1 
11. Autobiographical Hints in Tennyson's 

Poems 9 

III. The Arthurian Legend .... 21 

Gareth and Lynette 55 

Lancelot and Elaine Ill 

The Passing of Arthur . . o . . . 165 

Notes 185 

Questions 278 

List of Reference Books 300 



INTRODUCTION 



I. A BRIEF LIFE OF TENNYSON 

Alfred Tennyson was born, August 6, 1809, in the 
little village of Somersby, Lincolnshire, where his father 
was rector. The Rev. George Clayton Tennyson was a 
man of magnificent build, melancholy temperament, 
and artistic instinct — respects in which his son resembled 
him. The mother, of delicate physique, brought to her 
husband's stormy strength gifts of deep tenderness, 
gentleness, and serenity. Of their twelve children, the 
eldest, George, died in babyhood. Next came Frederick, 
Charles, and Alfred, poets all. As little lads, they wrote 
verses with their slate pencils, and in their teens they 
prepared and published (1827) a volume entitled Poems 
by Two Brothers; for Frederick, though he allowed 
Charles and Alfred to include four of his productions with 
their own, did not choose to identify himself more closely 
with the venture. This httle book, not without metrical 
facility and dignity of diction, is boyish in its display of 
learning and youthful in its tone of remorseful gloom. 
It had a special right to both these characteristics, for 

1 



INTJmX>^TJCTl0N 



the young Tennysons /^^^'wejl rea(if partly through 
attendance at the Gramm^'Schqol of Miith, a neighbour- 
ing market town,, but more through Jij'eir father's tuition 
in the Latin classics ; and mel^-nch^^t^;^ was in their blood. 
London used to delight in aWabsurd story about one of 
the younger brothers, who was discovered by an early 
dinner-guest lying at full len^h, a mighty man of Spanish 
complexion, oh the rug before the fire in their host's 
drawing-room. Rising with a deep sigh, the dark giant 
said: ''I must introduce myself. I am Septimus, the 
most morbid of the Tennysons." 

The year after the publication of their book of verses, 
Charles and Alfred entered upon their university life 
(February, 1828) at Trinity College, Cambridge, where 
Frederick had been for a year already and had won the 
university medal for the best Greek ode on the Pyramids. 
In their second year Charles and Alfred each achieved 
honours in English, Charles gaining a scholarship by the 
grace of his classical translations, and Alfred taking a 
prizej the chancellor's gold medal, for the best Enghsh 
poem on the assigned theme, Timbuctoo. 

Shy and sensitive, these tall, swarthy brothers from 
the little Lincolnshire village held somewhat aloof from 
the gay and careless student life about them, but the 
friends they made were among the choicest spirits in 
the university. Alfred became a member of a debating 
club called, because its members in residence were limited 
to twelve, "The Apostles." In that fine fellowship he 
learned to know and to love Arthur Henry Hallam, son 
of the distinguished historian, and himself a poet. Hallam 



INTRODUCTION 6 

had tried for the Timbuctoo medal and failed, but this 
generous rival delighted in his friend's success. Of 
Tennyson's Timbuctoo Hallam wrote to Gladstone: "The 
splendid imaginative power that pervades it will be seen 
through all hindrances. I consider Tennyson as promis- 
ing fair to be the greatest poet of our generation, perhaps 
of our country." 

While still an undergraduate, Tennyson published 
(1830) a volume of Poems, Chiefly Lyrical, about half of 
which are retained in his collected works. Charles Ten- 
nyson put forth, at the same time, a volume of sonnets. 
Leigh Hunt, v/ho gave the books a series of critiques in 
The Tatler, decided that the work of Alfred was the 
more significant, but Coleridge took especial interest in 
that of Charles. Hallam wrote an enthusiastic review 
of his friend's poems for The Englishman's ^fagazine, 
but Blackwood's, then a great and dreaded name in Eng- 
lish criticism, laughed them to scorn. -,:>ft . 

In the summer vacation of 1830, Tennyson and P^JIIm 
made a romantic journej'' to the Pyrenees, holding there 
a secret meeting with the leaders of the Spanish revolu- 
tion. The following winter Tennyson's Cambridge career 
was broken off by the death of his father. Frederick and 
Charles stayed on for their degrees, but Alfred settled 
down at Somersby, where the use of the rectory was 
secured for a few years longer, and took charge of the 
family affairs. How well-fitted the poet was for the 
practical responsibilities that thus devolved upon hinx 
may be gathered from Fitzgerald's word portrait, written W 
about two years after Dr. Tennyson's death ; — v 



4 INTRODUCTION 

"Very well informed; just and upright; a rectifier or 
setter to rights of people; diligent, constant, sincere; 
has great discernment; industrious, decided, and pos- 
sesses great strength of mind; a very valuable friend; 
generous, but not extravagant; punctual; cool and 
clear in judgment." 

Yet Tennyson had other aspects, — "httle humours 
and grumpinesses," which grew upon him in the lonely life 
of Lincolnshire. His was, in the main, however, a whole- 
some and noble personality during these years of his young 
manhood, when he was described as "a sort of Hyperion" 
in look, and one of his feats of strength, the lifting and 
carrying a pet pony on the Somersby lawn, made a Cam- 
bridge friend, Brookfield, protest that it was not fair he 
"should be Hercules, as well as Apollo." 

Toward the close of 1832, Tennyson issued another vol- 
ume, embodying the purest achievement of his early art 
and including among its thirty poems, A Dream of Fair 
Women, The Two Voices, The Lady of Shalott, CEnone, The 
Lotos-Eaters. A critical organ as authoritative and as 
brutal as Blackwood's, the Quarterly, that an old Lincoln- 
shire squire assured Tennyson was '' the next book to God's 
Bible," assailed the volume with cruel mockery. But the 
poet had Hallam to hearten him, for the friendship had 
not suffered by Tennyson's withdrawal from Cambridge. 
Hallam, studying law in London, was often at Somersby 
for " week end" visits and had become betrothed to Emily 
Tennyson. The Quarterly review came out in July, 1833. 
In August Tennyson went to London to say good-bye to 
Hallam, who, a little out of health, was starting on a 



INTRODUCTION 5 

European trip. In September Hallam died suddenly at 
Vienna. It was not until October that the word came to 
Somersby, not until January that the body was laid to rest 
in Clevedon church, beside the Bristol Channel. 

The inner history of Tennyson's life for the next ten 
3^ears may be read in In Memoriam, his great elegy for his 
friend. Of outer events there were but few. The Tenny- 
sons had to vacate the rectory in 1837, and settled near 
London, at High Beech, where the poet gradually came 
into association with the foremost Enghshmen of his 
time. 

His brother Frederick, whimsical, passionate, high- 
hearted, was drifting about the south of Europe. He 
married an Italian lady, settled in a Florentine villa, where 
he was fabled to sit in a spacious hall, "in the midst of his 
forty fiddlers,'' saw Swedenborgian visions, communed 
with spirits, and wTote poetry, mainly upon CIreek themes, 
— poetry that his brother hkened to "organ-tones echoing 
among the mountains." This, with the exception of a 
volume published in 1854, he kept by him in manuscript 
until his old age, when he issued, from 1890 to 1895, three 
volumes. 

Charles had married, the year before the family removal 
from Somersby, IMiss Louisa Sellwood, a Lincolnshire lady 
whose elder sister, Emily, Alfred would gladly have made 
his bride at the same time, but he was too poor to be, in 
the eyes of her father, an acceptable suitor. Charles had 
inherited property by the death of an uncle, whose name. 
Turner, he added to his own. He took Holy Orders and 
passed a tranciuil life as vicar of Grasby, Lincolnshire, 



6 INTRODUCTION 

writing sonnets and metrical translations, and publishing 
three volumes of his poetry between the ages of fifty-six 
and sixty-five. 

With a more single devotion than his brothers, Alfred 
Tennyson held, silently, assiduously, to his art. Hallam 
had written proudly, in 1832: "Alfred has resisted all 
attempts to force him into a profession, preferring poetry 
and an honourable poverty." This honourable poverty 
sometimes pressed so hard that, before leaving Somersby, 
he sold his Timbuctoo medal, and in 1840, so slight was the 
prospect that he could support a wife, Mr. Sellwood forbade 
further correspondence between his daughter and the 
impecunious poet. 

From High Beech Tennyson, restless and dissatisfied, 
removed with his mother and sisters some forty miles to 
the south of London, settling first at a watering-place, 
Tunbridge Wells, and then at Boxley, near Maidstone, the 
county town of Kent. 

In 1842, after ten years of hidden labour, there appeared 
Poems, by Alfred Tennyson, in two volumes. The first 
volume contained the best of the early work, carefully re- 
vised; the second consisted of new poems, including the 
Morte d'Arthur, Sir Galahad, St. Simeon Stylites, and 
Ulysses. 

At last he had won the ear of England, who acknowl- 
edged a new poet. Three more editions were called for 
during the next four years. But Tennyson receiving 
homage was the same nonchalant, sad and solitary per- 
sonage that he had been in his obscurity. The human 
sympathy in him, developed by loss and longing, was still, 



INTRODUCTION 7 

to many of his friends, the most precious element of the 
man. Carlyle wrote in a home letter : — 

"A fine, large-featured, dim-eyed, bronze-coloured, 
shaggy-headed man is Alfred; dusky, smoky, free-and- 
easy; who swims outwardly and inwardly, with great 
composure, in an inarticulate element as of tranquil chaos 
and tobacco-smoke; great now and then when he does 
emerge; a most restful, brotherly, solid-hearted man." 

Money losses and illness weighed heavily upon Tenny- 
son in the very year of the publication of his Poems, but 
with 1845 the horizon began to brighten. To begin with, 
he was offered and accepted, at Carlyle 's suggestion, a 
pension of £200 a year in recognition of his services to 
English letters. Two years later he published The Prin- 
cess, which by 1853 had run through five editions, while 
his Poems had achieved their eighth. But 1850, the turn- 
ing year of the century, crowned Alfred Tennyson's life. 
In this year he gave to the world his supreme poem, In 
Memoriam; he wedded the woman whom he had loved so 
long; and he succeeded Wordsworth as Poet Laureate. 

From this time on the world went well with him. Of 
his wife he said: ''The peace of God came into my life 
before the altar when I wedded her." Their beautiful 
home, Farringford, on the Isle of Wight, — a home pur- 
chased with the proceeds of his lyrical love-drama, Maud, 
— was brightened by two sons, Hallam and Lionel. When 
Farringford had become too much the shrine of literary 
pilgrimage, Tennyson built for himself a summer retreat, 
Aldworth, on the summit of a Surrey hill. 

His devotion to his high caUing never flagged. Maud 



8 INTRODUCTION 

(1855) was followed by the first four Idylls of the King 
(1859), a book that met with a joyous welcome, and gave 
Thackeray, so he said, the greatest delight that had come 
to him since his youth. Enoch Arden (1864), with its 
twofold appeal of love for the sea and sympathy for the 
common people, added thousands of the humbler English 
folk to his great audience. He dramatized certain sig- 
nificant epochs of English history, as Queen Mary (1875), 
Harold (1876), and Bccket (1884). Meanwhile he had 
published a few other plays, romantic and domestic, of 
less value, and, in 1880, a volume of notable ballads, in- 
cluding The Revenge and The Defence of Lucknow. This 
volume, again, made a national appeal and renewed the 
chorus of praise. So popular had the poet become that 
his volume of 1889, Demeter and Other Poems, sold twenty 
thousand copies in the first week after publication. The 
dedication of this volume records the one deep grief of 
Tennyson's later life, the death by jungle fever, on the 
home voyage from India, of his younger son, Lionel, whose 
body was committed to the Red Sea. 

The relations between the Queen and her Laureate were 
genuinely cordial. She wished to confer on him some 
signal honour, but he t\\nce declined, in 1873 and 1874, the 
offer of a baronetcy. Ten years later, however, he con- 
sented, partly for the sake of literature, to accept a peerage. 

Lord Tennyson died at Aldworth, October 6, 1892. 
"Nothing could have been more striking," said the medi- 
cal bulletin, "than the scene during the last few hours. 
On the bed a figure of breathing marble, flooded and 
bathed in the light of the full moon streaming through the 



INTRODUCTION 9 

oriel window ; his hand clasping the Shakespeare which he 
had asked for but recently, and which he had kept by him 
to the end; the moonlight, the majestic figure as he lay 
there, 'drawing thicker breath,' irresistibly brought to our 
minds his own 'Passing of Arthur.''' 

Tennyson's body rests in the Poets' Corner of West- 
minster Abbey, beside that of Robert Browning and in 
front of the Chaucer monument. 

But the only real biography is autobiography. Of this 
Tennyson's poems yield a fair amount, most of all that 
cry of heart and soul, In Memoriam. 

II. AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL HINTS IN TENNYSON's POEMS 

Ode to Memory 

This poem, said in the 1830 volume, where it first ap- 
peared, to have been written " very early in life," abounds 
in pictures of Tennyson's Lincolnshire home and sur- 
roundings. 

Song: A Spirit haunts the Year's Last Hours 

This song suggests the rectory garden, where it is said 
to have been written. 

The Dying Swan 

This poem has the scenery of Lincolnshire. 

Isabel 

This sketch derived its main features from the char- 
acter of Tennyson's mother. 



10 >'*^ INTRODUCTION 

Far, Far Away 

These words had for Tennyson, even in early childhood, 
''a strange charm." 

In Memoriam 

LXXIX 

This section, addressed to Tennyson's brother Charles, 
dwells upon their likeness of temperament and of early 
experience. 

In Memoriam 

LXXXVII 

This section depicts the Cambridge of Tennyson's stu- 
dent days, with the debates of "The Apostles," among 
whom Arthur Hallam was the leading spirit. 

In Memoriam 

cix-cxiv 

These sections give Tennyson's estimate of the char- 
acter and promise of Hallam, who died at the age of 
twenty-two. 

Sonnet to J. M. K. 

This sonnet was addressed to one of Tennyson's Cam- 
bridge friends, John Mitchell Kemble, who afterward aban- 
doned his intention of becoming a clergyman and devoted 
his life to Early English scholarship. 



INTRODUCTION 11 

The Poet 

This poem, first printed in 1830, shows how. high and'^''- 
noble was Tennyson's ideal of his vocation. 

To J. S. 

In this poem, addressed to James Spedding, one of 
the Cambridge ''Apostles," is a reference (stanzas 5-6) to 
the death of Tennyson's father. The poem was first pub- 
Hshed in 1833. 

In Memoriam 

LXXXIX 

This section tells how Hallam, as Tennyson's friend and 
Emily Tennyson's lover, would often escape from his law 
studies in London for happy visits at Somersby. 

In Memoriam 

VII and cxix 

These sections allude to the house at 67 Wimpole Street, 
London, where Hallam was Uving during the winter of 
1832-1833. He told his friends that they would always 
find him at "sixes and sevens." 

Break, Break, Break 

"Made in a Lincolnshire lane at five o'clock in the 
morning between blossoming hedges" {Memoir: I, 190), 
but full of the passion of the sea and of heart-break. 



12 INTRODUCTION 

The Two Voices 

This poem Tennyson admitted to be autobiographic, — 
an expression of the struggle against despair which he 
endured in those first months after the death of Arthur 
Hallam. 

In Memoriam 

ix-xix • 

These sections have reference to the months interven- 
ing between the death of Hallam at Vienna, September 15, 
1833, and his burial at Clevedon, January 3, 1834. 

In Memoriam 

XXII-XXVII 

These sections review the years of friendship and prom- 
ise constancy. 

In Memoriam 

xxviii-xxx 

These sections have reference to the first Christmas at 
Somersby after Hallam 's burial. 

In Memoriam 

XXXVIII 

This section expresses a hope that the free spirit may 
be pleased with Tennyson's tribute of song. 



INTRODUCTION 13 

In Memoriam 



XLI-XLIV 

These sections express the poet's half-doubtful yearn- 
ing for continued communion with his friend. 

In Memoriam 

XLVI 

*This section refers again to the five years of earthly 
friendship. 

In Memoriam 

LVII 

This section expresses a foreboding that Tennyson's 
poetic work, bereft of Hallam's sympathy, will fail. 

In Memoriam 

LX-LXV 

These sections express a fear that Hallam, even on 
earth ''a soul of nobler tone" and lifted now to "second 
state sublime," may have passed beyond the reach of the 
poet's friendship. 

In Memoriam 

LXVII 

The reference is to the tablet in Clevedon Church. 



14 INTRODUCTION 

In Memoriam 

Lxviii and lxx 

These sections tell how Tennyson was wont to dream 
of Hallam. 

In Memoriam 

LXXI 

This section refers to the summer journey of 1830, 
when Tennyson and Hallam went to aid the Spanish 
revolutionists. 

In the Valley of Cauteretz 

This poem, written in 1861, on the occasion of a second 
visit, re3ali3 an experience of that same vacation journey. 

In Memoriam 

LXXII 

The reference is to the anniversary of Hallam 's death. 
In Memoriam 

LXXIII-LXXV 

These sections suggest an appreciation, made keener by 
death, of the high endowments of Hallam. 

In Memoriam 

LXXVIII 

This section would seem to refer to Christmas, 1835. 



INTRODUCTION 15 

In Memoriam 

LXXX-LXXXIII 

These sections would seem to indicate that, as the 
springtide draws near, the poet is gaining a certain mas- 
tery over his sorrow. 

In Memoriam 

LXXXIV 

This section has reference to the broken hope of mar- 
riage between Arthur Hallam and Emily Tennyson. 

In Memoriam 

LXXXV 

In this section the poet, though responding to the claims 
of new friendship, asserts his unchanged allegiance to the 
love that has become " a part of stillness." 

In Memoriam 

xcv 

This section tells of a night at Somersby when Tennyson 
seemed to find in vision his lost friend again. 

The Bridesmaid 

This poem has reference to the wedding of Tennyson's 
brother Charles, May 24, 1836. The bride was Louisa 
Sellwood, and the bridesmaid her sister, Emily, whose 
hand the poet did not win until 1850. 



16 IN TR ODUCTION 

In Memoriam 

XCVIII 

This section is addressed to Tennyson's brother Charles, 
as he was setting forth, with his bride, on a Continental 
journey. 

A Farewell 

This poem, first published in 1842, is believed to refer 
to the brook at Somersby. The Tennysons moved away 
in 1837. 

In Memoriam 

c-cii 

These sections refer to the removal of the Tennyson 
family from Somersby. 

In Memoriam 

civ-cv 

These sections have reference to the loneliness of the 
first Christmas in a new home. 

In Memoriam 

cvii 

In this section the poet describes himself as keeping 
February 1, the anniversary of Hallam's birthday. 



INTRODUCTION 17 

In Memoriam 

cxxix-cxxx 

These sections express the spiritual victory of the poet's 
love for his friend. 

In Memoriam 

EPILOGUE 

The reference here is to the marriage, in 1842, of Ed- 
mund Law Lushington and Tennyson's youngest sister, 
Cecelia, to whom, though but eight years his junior, he 
had come to stand in a father's place. Their brother 
Charles performed the ceremony. 

Ulysses 

Concerning the part played by this poem in the grant 
of Tennyson's pension, 1845, the Memoir (Vol. I, p. 225) 
tells the following : — 

"The question arose whether Sheridan Knowles or my 
father should be placed on the pension list. Peel knew 
nothing of either of them. Houghton said that he then 
made Peel read Ulysses, whereupon the pension was 
granted to Tennyson." 

The poem was written soon after the death of Arthur 
Hallam. "It gave my feeling," said Tennyson to his son, 
" about the need of going forward and braving the struggle 
of hfe perhaps more simply than anything in In Memo- 
riam." 



18 INTRODUCTION 

Dedication to the Queen 

This dedication was prefixed, in 1851, to the seventh 
edition of Tennyson's Poems. He had been created Poet 
Laureate in November, 1850. 



The Daisy 

This poem commemorates a Continental journey taken 
by Tennyson and his wife in 1851, the second year of their 
marriage. 

A Dedication: Dear, Near, and True 

This poem, originally prefixed to Enoch Arden (1864), 
is addressed to Lady Tennyson, to whom, in June Bracken 
and Heather, her poet also inscribed his latest volume, The 
Death of CEnone (1892). 

To the Rev. F. D. Maurice 

This poem, written in 1854, when the liberal theology 
of Maurice was involving him in many troubles, gives 
suggestive glimpses of Farringford, Tennyson's home on 
the Isle of Wight. 

Prologue to General Hamley 

The view here described is the view from Aldworth, 
near Hazlemere, Surrey, which was Tennyson's summer 
home from 1869 to his death. 



INTRODUCTION 19 

In the Garden at Swainstoii 

This lament, written in 1870, was called out by the 
death of Sir John Simeon, one of Tennyson's most beloved 
neighbours on the Isle of Wight. The two friends, to whom 
the poem refers as resembling Sir John in courtesy, were 
Arthur Hallam and Henry Lushington. To Lushington 
the second edition of The Princess had been dedicated. 

To the Rev. W. H. Brookfield 

This sonnet, written in 1875, commemorates one of 
Tennyson's Cambridge friends, with a reference to Hallani, 
" the lost light of those dawn-golden times." 

To E. Fitzgerald 

This poem, prefixed to Teresias, pictures the two poets 
together on occasion of a visit by Tennyson to Fitzgerald, 
in his home at Woodbridge, 1876. 

Prefatory Poem to my Brother's Sonnets 

This poem, inscribed Midnight, June 30, 1879, laments 
the death of the Reverend Charles Tennyson-Turner, that 
brother whom, from childhood, Tennyson most intimately 
loved. 

To Alfred Tennyson 

This dedication of Ballads and Other Poems, 1880, is 
addressed to the poet's grandson, 

" Golden-hair'd Ally whose name is one with mine." 



20 INTRODUCTION 

The Ancient Sage 

Concerning this poem, published in 1885, Tennyson left 
the following note: ''The whole poem is very personal. 
The passages about ' Faith ' and the * Passion of the Past ' 
were more especially my own personal feelings. This 
'Passion of the Past' I used to feel when a boy." 

To Ulysses 

This poem, written when 

"The century's three strong eights have met 
To drag me down to seventy-nine," 

has upon it the atmosphere of the poet's sheltered and 
serene old age. 

To the Marquis of Dufferin and Ava 

This dedication to the volume of 1889, Demeter and 
Other Poems, alludes to the burial in the Red Sea of Ten- 
nyson's younger son, Lionel, who died on the return voy- 
age from India. 

Merlin and the Gleam 

This poem, written in 1889, is the poet's essential auto- 
biography. 

Crossing the Bar 

Concerning this lyric, written in Tennyson's eighty-first 
year, he said to his son: "Mind you put Crossing the Bar 
at the end of all editions of my poems." This, and The 
Silent Voices, were sung at Tennyson's funeral, 



INTRODUCTION 21 



III. THE ARTHURIAN LEGEND 

The best stories are the old stories. This legend of 
Arthur and his court, which Tennyson tells in the Idylls 
of the King, has been known to English literature for over 
a thousand years. The historic basis on which the legend 
rests is dim and all uncertain, but it may well be true that, 
in those early centuries when the native British were strug- 
gling against the Saxon invaders, there arose a strong 
chieftain, rough and wild, undoubtedly, in rough, wild 
times, but so good a fighter that the hopes of the Britons 
clung about him and, race of poets that they were, they 
comforted themselves in their defeat by telling more and 
more splendid tales of their lost leader's prowess. When- 
ever one of these wandering minstrels heard of a brave 
deed done by some other hero, this he would add to the 
feats of Arthur, so that the legend grew like a magic tree, 
whose singing branches finally cast their dreamy shadow 
over the half of Europe. 

The earhest of English historians, Gildas, surnamed the 
Wise, writing in Latin about the middle of the sixth cen- 
tury, mentions a decisive victory (apparently 516 a.d.) 
gained by the Christian Britons over the heathen Saxons 
at Bath Hill, or Mount Badon, yet he says nothing of 
Arthur. His successor, the Venerable Bede, a studious 
monk who died in 735, maintains a like silence. But the 
so-called Nennius, whose history, also in Latin, was writ- 
ten, according to the most recent conclusions of scholar- 
ship, at the end of the eighth century, tells of twelve great 
battles in which Arthur beat back the Saxons, and names 



22 INTRODUCTION 

Mount Badon as the last of the twelve. It is hard, with 
distance of time and change of names, to identify the sites 
of those battles, but they seem to have been distributed 
over nearly all England. This is what the devout old 
writer says : — 

"Then it was [after the death of Hengist, one of the 
leaders of the Saxon invasion] that the magnanimous 
Arthur, with all the kings and military force of Britain, 
fought against the Saxons. And though there were many 
more noble than himself, yet he was twelve times chosen 
their commander, and was as often conqueror. The first 
battle in which he was engaged was at the mouth of the 
river Gleni. The second, third, fourth and fifth were on 
another river, by the Britons called Duglas, in the region 
of Linuis. The sixth, on the river Bassas. The seventh 
in the wood Celidon, which the Britons call Cat Coit Celi- 
don. The eighth was near Gurnion castle, where Arthur 
bore the image of the Holy Virgin, mother of God, upon 
his shoulders, and through the power of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, and the holy Mary, put the Saxons to flight, and 
pursued them the whole day with great slaughter. The 
ninth was at the City of Legion*, which is called Cair Lion. 
The tenth was on the banks of the river Trat Treuroit. 
The eleventh was on the mountain Breguoin, which we 
call Cat Bregion. The twelfth was a most severe contest, 
when Arthur penetrated to the hill of Badon. In this 
engagement, nine hundred and forty fell by his hand alone, 
no one but the Lord affording him assistance. In all these 
engagements the Britons were successful. For no strength 
can avail against the will of the Almighty." (§ 50.) 



INTRODUCTION 23 

About 1125, the chronicler known as Wilham of Malmes- 
bury, after mentioning the prowess of Arthur, went on to 
say: — 

"This is the Arthur of whom even yet the frivolous tales 
of the Britons rave, but who evidently deserved to be 
celebrated not in the vain fancies of dreamers, but in the 
statements of authentic history." 

What were these " frivolous tales of the Britons " ? And 
have the modern revivals of Celtic literature brought any 
of them to light ? 

A poor Welsh boy, Owen Jones, while tending cattle, 
a century and a half ago, in the mountain pastures of 
Wales, dreamed of the ancient glories of his country and 
longed to gain access to the manuscripts of old poetry 
which, he had been told, were stored away in the proud 
Welsh castles. But since no castle-lord would show his 
precious parchments to a peasant lad, Owen Jones went 
to London and, by a hfetime of labour ':::_ the fur-trade, 
made a fortune, all for the sake of those hidden treasures 
of song and story. The castle doors opened to a golden 
key. He spent his riches in accumulating, by means of 
a staff of expert copyists, transcripts of many early manu- 
scripts, so forming an invaluable collection of the Welsh 
bardic poetry. 

Celtic scholars fell eagerly upon this literature, lost in 
oblivion during the past six hundred years, and found that 
here were poems by three famous bards of the sixth cen- 
tury, men contemporary, or almost contemporary, with 
Arthur, — by Llywarch Hen, the professional poet of 
Geraint ; by Aneurin, Geraint's grandson ; and by Talies- 



24 ly TROD UC TI ON 

sen, the professional poet of Urien, a patriot leader of the 
northern Britons against the Saxons. But while these 
bards heap lavish praise on their own lords, they make 
but slight mention of Arthur. The fullest allusion, pos- 
sibly a later interpolation, occurs in the closing stanza of 
Llywarch's elegy on Geraint : — 

" The valiant chief of the woodlands of Devon," 

who fell in the battle of Longport, where Llywarch, then 
a youth, had borne a part : — 

*' At Longport were slain by Arthur, 
The commander of armies, the director of war, 
Valiant warriors, who smote with the steel." 

The Welsh bardic poetry of the next three hundred 
years has various references to Arthur, but with a mytho- 
logical colouring. His father, Uther Pendragon, is a dim, 
shifting, cloudy figure with the rainbow for his shield. 
The face of Arthur "flashes in the fight,'' and after falling 
in the battle of Camlan, he appears in the skies as the con- 
stellation which we know as the Great Bear or the Great 
Dipper, but which the Welsh call Arthur's Chariot. 

The treasury of the old Welsh tales, the folk-lore of the 
people, which had been, in course of time, committed to 
writing under the title of Mabinogion, was opened to Eng- 
lish readers through the translation of Lady Charlotte 
Guest, a Welsh mother writing for her children. Her 
Mabinogion (1838) derives from a fourteenth-century 
manuscript known as the Red Book of Hcrgest and consists 
of gorgeously coloured fictions, where primitive, pagan 
fairy-lore blends with chivalric romance. Here is an 



INTRODUCTION 25 

Arthur, no Christian champion nor patriot chief, but 
a great hunter of the stag and the central figure of a court 
which boasts an amazing circle of knights. 

" King Arthur was at Caerlleon upon Usk ; and one day 
he sat in his chamber ; and with him were Owain the son 
of Urien, and Kynon the son of Clydno, and Kai the son 
of Kyner; and Gwenhwyvar and her hand-maidens at 
needlework by the window. ... In the centre of the 
chamber, King Arthur sat, upon a seat of green rushes, 
over which was spread a covering of flame-coloured satin ; 
and a cushion of red satin was under his elbow. Then 
Arthur spoke, 'If I thought you would not disparage me,' 
said he, ' I would sleep while I wait for my repast, and you 
can entertain one another with relating tales, and can 
obtain a flagon of mead and some meat from Kai.' And 
the King went to sleep." {The Lady of the Fountain.) 

As to these knights of Arthur's court, one was so ugly 
that "no one struck him in the battle of Camlan by reason 
of his ugUness; all thought he was an auxiliary devil. 
Hair had he upon him like the hair of a stag." Another 
was so beautiful that "no one touched him with a spear 
in the battle of Camlan because of his beauty ; all thought 
he was a ministering angel." Another was so light of foot 
that "when he intended to go upon a message for his 
Lord, he never sought to find a path, but knowing whither 
he was to go, if his way lay through a wood, he went along 
the tops of the trees." Another was so keen of eye, that 
"when the gnat arose in the morning with the sun," he 
could see it across all Britain. Another was so sharp of 
ear that "though he were buried seven cubits beneath 



26 INTRODUCTION 

the earth, he would hear the ant, fifty miles off, rise from 
her nest in the morning." Another was such a leaper 
that "he would clear three hundred acres at one bound. 
The chief leaper of Ireland was he." Another "would 
suck up the sea on which were three hundred ships, so as 
to leave nothing but a dry strand. He was broad-chested." 
Another, by laying his sheathed dagger across the torrent, 
could make a bridge for mighty armies. " Sol could stand 
all day upon one foot. Gwadyn Ossol, if he stood upon 
the top of the highest mountain in the world, it would 
become a level plain under his feet. Gwadyn Odyeith, 
the soles of his feet emitted sparks of fire when they struck 
upon things hard, like the heated mass when drawn out 
of the forge. He cleared the way for Arthur when he 
came to any stoppage." Two of the knights had terrible 
appetites. "When they made a visit, they left neither 
the fat nor the lean, neither the hot nor the cold, the sour 
nor the sweet, the fresh nor the salt, the boiled nor the 
raw." But the principal ornaments of Arthur's court 
must have been Gwevyl the son of Gwestad, — "on the 
day that he was sad, he would let one of his lips drop 
below his waist, while he turned up the other like a cap 
upon his head," — and Uchtryd Varyf Draws, "who 
spread his red untrimmed beard over the eight and forty 
rafters which were in Arthur's hall." (Kilhwch and Olwen.) 
A native of Brittany in France, a vicomte no less ardent 
in his devotion to the ancient Breton poetry than was the 
Welsh herd-boy and fur-merchant to that of Wales, has 
made collections, in our own time, of the ballads and 
romances sprung from the Britons in exile, — the Britons 



INTRODUCTION 27 

who fled from the ferocity of the Saxons to the Continent 
and covered the face of Brittany, as Cornwall is covered, 
as the northwest of England and the neighbouring regions 
of Scotland are covered, with Arthurian names. The 
oldest of these poems know Arthur only as a brave fighter, 
but here, as in Great Britain, mythology, Christianity, 
and chivalry had, by the twelfth century, gathered their 
glories about that rude, vague figure. 

This Arthur of the Celtic dreamers was first revealed 
to England in that famous book, Geoffrey of Monmouth's 
History of the Britons. Geoffrey, a prelate of the church, 
long located on the Welsh border, opens his volume with 
the following explanation : — 

"Whilst occupied with many and various studies, I 
happened to light upon the History of the Kings of Brit- 
ain, and wondered that in the account which Gildas and 
Bede, in their accomplished treatises, have given of them, 
I found nothing said of those kings who lived here before 
the Incarnation of Christ, nor of Arthur, and many others 
who succeeded after the Incarnation; though their ac- 
tions both deserved immortal fame, and were also cele- 
brated by many people in a pleasant manner and by heart, 
as if they had been written. W^hilst I was intent upon 
these and such Uke thoughts, Walter, archdeacon of Ox- 
ford, a man of great eloquence, and learned in foreign 
histories, offered me a very ancient book in the British 
tongue, which, in a continued regular story and elegant 
style, related the actions of them all, from Brutus the first 
king of the Britons, down to Cadwallader the son of Cad- 
wallo. At his request, though I had not made fine 



28 INTRODUCTION 

language my study by collecting florid expressions from 
other authors, yet contented with my own homely style 
I undertook the translation of that book into Latin." 

Did Geoffrey really have a Welsh or a Breton original, 
itself the outgrowth of Celtic imagination fed by a grain 
of fact, or was he a novelist born out of season, and a 
humorist to boot? His "history" appeared a little be- 
fore the middle of the twelfth century and made a literary 
sensation of unparalleled intensity and extent. Certain 
prosaic contemporaries called him a shameless and impu- 
dent liar, one scandalized critic going so far as to assert 
that he knew a man who had seen legions of devils hov- 
ering over Geoffrey's manuscript, but the Norman min- 
strels seized upon the book with delight and recited in 
camp and castle the wonderful story of King Arthur. 

Geoffrey's history follows the tradition by which the 
Britons, not to be outdone by the French who derived 
their nation from Francio, son of Hector, claimed descent 
from another Trojan fugitive, Brutus, son of Ascanius, 
and grandson of the pious ^Eneas. With this promising 
beginning, Geoffrey goes on to vivid accounts of various 
personages who have since become very much at home in 
English literature, as Lear and his three daughters; Fer- 
rex and Porrex, the subjects of our first secular tragedy; 
and Sabrina, Milton's "Goddess of the silver lake." He 
tells of Caisar's invasion, of Cymbeline, of his two sons 
and their refusal to pay the Roman tribute ; of the with- 
drawal of the Romans and the invasions of Picts and 
Scots; of the inroad of the Saxons under Hengist and 
Horsa. Then he tells of Uther Pendragon, of Merhn the 



IN TROD UC TION 29 

Magician, and of the crowning, at Uther's death, of his 
son Arthur, "then fifteen years old, but a youth of such 
unparalleled courage and generosity, joined with such 
sweetness of temper and innate goodness, as gained him 
universal love." (IX : 1.) Geoffrey pictures this young 
Arthur as a dauntless warrior, splendid in his royal coat 
of mail, wearing a golden helmet, on which was graven a 
dragon, and bearing a shield painted with the picture of 
Mary. ''Then girding on his Caliburn, which was an ex- 
cellent sword made in the isle of Avalon, he graced his 
right hand with his lance, named Ron, which was hard, 
broad, and fit for slaughter." (IX : 4.) With this sword 
Caliburn, Arthur made nothing of killing four hundred 
and seventy men in a single battle. After he had sub- 
dued, with the help of Hoel of Brittany, the Scots and 
Picts and the Saxons, he "took to wife Guanhumara, 
descended from a noble family of Romans, who was edu- 
cated under Duke Cador, and in beauty surpassed all the 
women of the island." (IX : 9.) Arthur's career of con- 
quest soon embraced Ireland, Iceland, the Orkneys, and 
the Continent from Norway to Aquitaine. He won Gaul 
by a tilt to the death against the Roman governor of the 
province, on an island in the Seine, their respective armies 
looking on from opposite banks, and held his court in 
Paris. He was crowned again at the City of Legions 
(Caerleon in Wales) upon the river Usk, with magnifi- 
cent pomp. "At last, when divine service was over at 
both churches, the king and queen put off their crowns, 
and putting on their lighter ornaments, went to the ban- 
quet ; he to one palace with the men, and she to another 



30 INTRODUCTION 

with the women. For the Britons still observe the ancient 
custom of Troy, by which the men and women used to 
celebrate their festivals apart. When they had all taken 
their seats according to precedence, Caius the sewer, in 
rich robes of ermine, with a thousand young noblemen, 
all in like manner clothed with ermine, served up the 
dishes. . . . For at that time Britain had arrived at such 
a pitch of grandeur, that in abundance of riches, luxury 
of ornaments, and politeness of inhabitants, it far sur- 
passed all other kingdoms. The knights in it that were 
famous for feats of chivalry wore their clothes and arms 
all of the same fashion ; and the women also no less cele- 
brated for their wit wore all the same kind of apparel, 
and esteemed none worthy of their love but such as 
had given a proof of their valour in three several battles." 
(IX : 13.) 

In the midst of the coronation festivities, twelve Roman 
ambassadors, venerable men bearing olive-branches in 
their right hands, arrived with a demand for restoration 
of the provinces torn from Rome, and for tribute. The 
demand was refused, and Arthur, committing the care 
of his kingdom to his queen and to his nephew Modred, 
sailed to France to meet a formidable mustering of the 
Kings of the East, some fifteen of them, — kings of Greece, 
Africa, Syria, Egypt, Babylon, what not, — who had all 
obligingly come, with their combined armies, to aid the 
Romans in a new conquest of Britain. On the way, as a 
side issue, Arthur, attended only by Bedver the butler 
(Bedivere), slew a Spanish giant of prodigious size, laugh- 
ing merrily to see the monster tumble to the ground. 



INTRODUCTION 31 

This was the strongest giant Arthur had ever fought, save 
the giant Ritho, a pecuharly offensive personage who went 
most royally clad in furs made from the beards of the 
kings he had killed. In a series of hard-fought battles, 
Arthur and his nobles, his nephew Walgan (Gawain) do- 
ing splendid service, defeated the Kings of the East with 
their innumerable host. Bedivere was slain by the king 
of the Medes, and Caius the sewer (Kay) took his death- 
wound, but Arthur swung Caliburn with such fury that 
he cut off the heads of all who encountered him, including 
the kings pf Libya and Bithynia. The body of the Roman 
commander he sent to the Roman senate, as the only 
tribute that Britain would pay. "After this he stayed 
in those parts till the next winter was over, and employed 
his time in reducing the cities of the Allobroges. But at 
the beginning of the following summer, as he was on his 
march towards Rome, and was beginning to pass the Alps, 
he had news brought him that his nephew Modred, to 
whose care he had entrusted Britain, had by tyrannical 
and treasonable practices set the crown upon his own 
head; and that Queen Guanhumara, in violation of her 
first marriage, had wickedly married him." (X : 13.) 

Arthur hastened back to Britain, where Modred, who, 
in his reckless treason, had called Saxons, Scots, and Picts 
to his assistance, opposed his uncle's landing with a force 
of eighty thousand men. Arthur, nevertheless, broke their 
battle-Hne, and Modred rallied his forces, as best he could, 
at Winchester. "As soon as Queen Guanhumara heard 
this, she immediately, despairing of success, fled from 
York to the City of Legions, where she resolved to lead a 



32 INTRODUCTION 

chaste life among the nuns in the church of JuHus the 
Martyr, and entered herself one of their order." (XI : 1.) 

But Arthur, whose losses had been heavy, even Gawain 
lying among the dead, pushed on, hot with wrath, and 
drove Modred from Winchester into Cornwall, where the 
traitor made his stand at the river Cambula for that last 
great battle in the west. Modred fell, and many thou- 
sands with him; on Arthur's side, too, the slain lay in 
heaps. "And even the renowned King Arthur himself 
was mortally wounded; and being carried thence to the 
isle of Avalon to be cured of his wounds, he gave up the 
crown of Britain to his kinsman Constantine, the son of 
Cador, duke of Cornwall, in the five hundred and forty- 
second year of our Lord's incarnation." (XI : 2.) 

From this point on Geoffrey's spirited narrative gains: 
from Gildas, with whose history it now comes into con- 
nection, a few touches of veracity, but he says in conclu- 
sion, leaving the account of the later kings to William of 
Malmesbury and other contemporary historians: "But 
I advise them to be silent concerning the kings of the 
Britons, since they have not that book written in the 
British tongue, which Walter, archdeacon of Oxford, 
brought out of Brittany, and which being a true history, 
published in honour of those princes, I have taken care to 
translate." 

So many copies were made of Geoffrey's manuscript, 
which was completed about 1135, that one Hbrary alone, 
the British Museum, has thirty-four survivals. Within 
twenty years Geoffrey's Latin prose had been translated 
into French verse by Wace, the appointed chronicler of 



INTRODUCTION 33 

the Plantagenets. The only important addition made by 
Wace relates to the Table Round : — 

" Arthur established the Round Table 
Of which the Bretons tell many a fable." 

He notes, 'too, that the Bretons look for Arthur's com- 
ing again from Avalon. 

Wace's Brut (Brutus) was in turn translated into twelfth- 
century English verse by Layamon, a parish priest dwell- 
ing at Ernley in the West Country, on the banks of the 
Severn. He states that he compiled his work — finished 
about 1205 — from three books, for which he journeyed 
far and wide. The first of these would seem to be Bede's 
history, perhaps in the Anglo-Saxon translation; the 
second is not clearly identified, but may be the same his- 
tory in the original Latin. Yet from Bede Layamon took 
next to nothing, his work being in the main an amplifica- 
tion of his third book, Wace's Roman de Brut. A happy 
man was Layamon when he had accumulated this library. 
''Layamon these books beheld and the leaves he turned. 
He them with love beheld. Aid him God the Mighty! 
Quill he took with his fingers, and wrote on book-skin, 
and the true words set together, and the three books 
pressed into one." Yet the additions, w^hich are consider- 
able, that Layamon made to Wace's version, were appar- 
ently taken rather from floating Welsh legends and 
traditions than from written histories. 

Layamon elaborates the supernatural elements in the 
hero-tale, dwelling on the magic powers of Merlin, telling 
how elves clustered about the baby Arthur and gave him 
fairy gifts, and how after the battle of Camlan he was 



34 INTRODUCTION 

taken for healing to the Fail-y Queen in Avalon. "There 
was Modred slain, shorn of his life-day, and all his knights 
slain in that fight. There were slS,in all the brave, Arthur's 
warriors, high and low, and all the Britons of Arthur's 
board, and all his liegemen of many a land; and Arthur 
sore wounded with a broad spear ; fifteen he had of most 
grievous wounds; one might in the least of them thrust 
two gloves. Then were there no more left in that fight 
of two hundred thousand men that there lay all mangled, 
but Arthur the King and two of his knights. Arthur was 
wounded wondrously sore. There came to him a lad that 
was of his kin ; he was Cador's son, the earl of Cornwall ; 
Constantine was his name ; to the King he was dear. On 
him looked Arthur as he lay on the earth, and these words 
said with sorrowful heart. 'Constantine, thou art wel- 
come ; thou wert Cador's son ; here do I give thee this my 
realm, and guard thou my Britons all thy life long, and 
hold all the laws for them that have stood in my days, 
and all the good laws that in Uther's days stood. And I 
will wend to Avalon, to the fairest of all maidens, to Ar- 
gante the queen, an elf right fair, and she shall my wounds 
make all sound, make me all whole with healing draughts. 
And then will I come back to my kingdom and dwell with 
my Britons in mickle joy.' Even with the words there 
came from the sea what was a small boat driven by waves, 
and two women therein, wondrously formed; and they 
took Arthur, to the boat they bore him, down softly they 
laid him, and wended away. Then was it fulfilled what 
Merlin had said, — great should be the grief for the pass- 
ing of Arthur. The Britons hold yet that he is aHve and 



INTRODUCTION 35 

dwelleth in Avalon with fairest of elf-queens, and still 
look the Britons for Arthur to come." (V : 28565-28664.) 

Layamon gives a democratic explanation of the Round 
Table. On a feast day there arose a quarrel among Ar- 
thur's knights for precedence, and on his return into Corn- 
wall, the king embraced the offer of a cunning carpenter 
who proposed to make him a circular board at which 
sixteen hundred knights could sit in peace together, "for 
there shall the high be even with the low." 

But by the time of Layamon 's Brut the Arthurian 
legend had already grown apace, putting forth new shoots 
that flourished and intertwined until they made a veritable 
forest. The Norman trouveres were eagerly elaborating 
the picturesque and romantic elements of the old history, 
weaving in a thousand new strands, some invented, some 
i;aught up out of the oral recitation, by wandering min- 
strels from Brittany or Wales, of traditions and fables all 
the better known to the people because they had never 
been written on parchment. Lancelot of the Lake sud- 
denly enters the story. A king's son, stolen in babyhood 
by a water-fairy and reared in her blithe kingdom where 
the year is one eternal May, he emerges at the age of fif- 
teen, clad in swan-white armour, his surcoat decked with 
golden bells, but so untrained in knightly arts that he does 
not know how to ride his goodly steed, letting the bridle- 
rein hang loose while he cHngs to the saddle-bow. He 
rises to the position of third knight at Arthur's court and 
then, possibly in Arthurian-romance rivalry of the popular 
tale of Tristan and Isolt, who had drunk a magic love- 
potion to their sorrow and their shame, Lancelot is placed 



36 INTRODUCTION 

even above Gawain as Arthur's foremost knight and is 
made the guilty lover of Guinevere. As for Tristan, he 
must be brought to Arthur's court and knighted there, 
that the Tristan romances may pay tribute to the Arthu- 
rian. And so with the old Welsh hero Geraint, that fierce,, 
sixth-century fighter, whose wife, Enid, is the Patient. 
Griselda of Celtic story, — he, too, must be joined to the 
brotherhood of the Table Round. Arthur, meanwhile, has 
given over his career of adventure and patriotic strife. 
He sits in majestic state, like Charlemagne amid his peers,, 
commending the achievements of his knights. 

In the course of half a century (1170-1220) a vast body 
of romance had come into being. Lonely castles all over 
the north and south of Europe rejoiced in the advent of an 
Arthurian story-teller, his memory a very treasure-house 
of long, adventurous tales. Lords and ladies, squires and 
pages and men-at-arms joined in pressing him to stay on, 
from week to week and month to month, while he recited 
his stock in trade over and over, and, in response to their 
childlike curiosity and delight, lengthened out the lei- 
surely fiction with fresh episodes of his own. It was the 
age of chivalry ; the ear could not be satisfied with hear- 
ing of tilts and tournaments, strange forests, magic spells, 
passionate love, and passionate repentance. 

So far as these romances can be said to have individual 
authors, for each new writer appropriated, as a matter of 
course, th^ work of his predecessors, the name that stands 
out most prominently in France is that of Crestien (Chris- 
tian) de Troyes, a Breton minstrel and poet of no mean 
quality, whose literary career covers nearly all the second 



INTRODUCTION 37 

half of the twelfth century. In England, during the 
same period, the shaping hand seems 1^ have been that 
of Walter Map, a churchman of Welsh descent, chaplain 
to Henry II and widely famed for his learning and his 
wit. Both these writers were instrumental in blending 
with the Arthurian cycle of romances, essentially secular 
and chivalric, the romances of the Holy Grail, essentially 
religious. 

The Holy Grail was the wine-cup from which, tradi- 
tion said, Christ drank at the Last Supper. While He 
suffered on the cross, Joseph of Arimathea caught in 
this cup the blood that flowed from the Saviour's wounds 
and brought it into Britain. The cup, still holding the 
sacred blood, presently disappeared, thereafter to be re- 
vealed only to the pure in heart. The pursuit of the fleet- 
ing vision of this mystic cup, veiled in crimson samite, 
was that Quest of the Sangreal in w^hich the knights of 
the Round Table so ardently engaged, 

" A gentle sound, an awful light ! 

Three angels bear the Holy Grail. 
With folded feet, in stoles of white, 

On sleeping wings tliey sail. 
Oh, blessed vision! Blood of God! 

My spirit beats her mortal bars. 
As down dark tides the glory slides, 

And, star-like, mingles with the stars." 

New knights now appeared in the Arthurian romance- 
cycle, and for them was woven a glittering tissue of mar- 
vellous new adventures. Lancelot, already the favourite 
of chivalric romance, must follow the Quest, yet Lancelot 
loved the Queen and so might not attain. But the un- 



38 INTRODUCTION 

daunted romancers' gave to Lancelot a stainless son, Sir 
Galahad, whose white shield was emblazoned with a mi- 
raculous cross of blood that came and went, to succeed 
where his father must fail. The other heroes of the Quest 
were Bors and Perceval, the latter of whom has, through 
mediaeval German poetry and Wagner's modern opera, 
become most of all identifisd with this crowning adven- 
ture of Arthur's chivalry. 

The courtly Minnesingers of Germany, who were not 
only accomphshed minstrels, but devout crusaders as well, 
counted among the bravest and the best of the Red Cross 
Knights, gladly availed themselves of these mystical and 
allegorical elements introduced into the Arthurian legend. 
At the opening of the thirteenth century, the most earnest 
and exalted genius of them all. Wolfram von Eschenbach, 
took for his theme the Quest of the Holy Grail, unfolding 
in his great epic of Parzival the spiritual history of a be- 
wildered, tempted, fallen, earth-stained soul winning at 
last the restoring vision of the Divine. 

By the close of the thirteenth century all these various 
and originally independent growths of folk-story, — the 
old British legend of Merlin and Uther Pendragon, its asso- 
ciate legend of Arthur and Guinevere, Modred and Ga- 
wain, the ancient tragedy, apparently Irish or Scottish in 
origin, of Tristan and Isolt, the popular Welsh tale of 
Geraint and Enid, the ecclesiastical miracle-story of the 
Holy Grail and Joseph of Arimathea, — were inextricably 
interblent, and flourishing in a luxuriant profusion of 
romance. Verse, in these long-winded recitals, was giv- 
ing way to prose, but the prose romances were not trans- 



INTRODUCTION 39 

lations of the earlier metrical romances, but fresh tellings, 
with certain special tendencies and developments of their 
own. They inclined more and more, for instance, to de- 
preciate Gawain, the pagan hero and one of the most 
noble figures in the purely chivalric tales. As the Holy 
Grail element gained in influence, poor Gawain becomes 
a light-of-love, a false and shallow worldling, who early 
abandons the Quest, while Perceval and Galahad are ex- 
alted far above him. But Lancelot, for all his disloyal 
love of the Queen, could not be dethroned from the heart 
of the people, and so the clerical interest compromised on 
giving him sharp pangs of remorse, from which Tristan 
went comparatively free, and arranging that he "should 
die a holy man.'' 

The prose romances, too, show a revived interest in 
Arthur and Modred, especially the versions that were cur- 
rent in England, where Arthur was by this time fully 
adopted as the national hero. It was not until the third 
quarter of the fourteenth century that romances in the 
English language became frequent. Walter Map had 
written, as was natural for a priest and a Plantagenet 
courtier, in Latin and Norman French, and the Norman 
minstrels of the English court had carried on the work 
of Crestien de Troyes in his own tongue ; but the closing 
years of the fourteenth century, and the fifteenth, pro- 
duced a large amount of English romance, both in verse 
and prose, marked, in general, by a sturdier and less fan- 
tastic character than the French and finally ceasing in a 
dribble of Arthurian ballads. 

Among these Middle-Enghsh verse romances, the palm 



40 IN TR OB UC TION 

belongs to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, which restores 
Gawain to his ancient place of honour and presents this old, 
old picture of the Camelot court with such buoyancy of 
spirit, such fresh vividness of dehght, that the heart of 
the most jaded Arthurian reader waxes as joyous as young 
King Arthur himself : — 

''King Arthur lay at Camelot upon a Christmas-tide, 
with many a gallant lord and lovely lady, and all the 
noble brotherhood of the Round Table. There they held 
rich revels with gay talk and jest ; one while they would 
ride forth to joust and tourney, and again back to the 
court to make carols; for there was the feast holden fif- 
teen days with all the mirth that men could devise, song 
and glee, glorious to hear, in the daytime, and dancing 
at night. Halls and chambers were crowded with noble 
guests, the bravest of knights and the loveliest of ladies, 
and Arthur himself was the comeliest king that ever held 
a court. For all this fair folk were in their youth, the 
fairest and most fortunate under heaven, and the king 
himself of such fame that it were hard now to name so 
valiant a hero. 

''Now the New Year had but newly come in, and on 
that day a double portion was served on the high table 
to all the noble guests, and thither came the king with 
all his knights, when the service in the chapel had been 
sung to an end. And they greeted each other for the 
New Year, and gave rich gifts, the one to the other (and 
they that received them were not wroth, that may ye well 
believe !) , and the maidens laughed and made mirth till 
it was time to get them to meat. Then they washed and 



INTRODUCTION 41 

sat them down to the feast in fitting rank and order, and 
Guinevere the queen, gaily clad, sat on the high dais. 
Silken was her seat, with a fair canopy over her head, of 
rich tapestries of Tars, embroidered, and studded with 
costly gems; fair she was to look upon, with her shining 
grey eyes; a fairer woman might no man boast himself 
of having seen. 

" But Arthur would not eat till all were served, so full of 
joy and gladness was he, even as a child; he liked not 
either to He long, or to sit long at meat, so worked upon 
him his young blood and his wild brain. And another 
custom he had also, that came of his nobility, that he 
would never eat upon an high day till he had been advised 
of some knightly deed, or some strange and marvellous 
tale, of his ancestors, or of arms, or of other ventures. 
Or till some stranger knight should seek of him leave to 
joust with one of the Round Table, that they might set 
their lives in jeopardy, one against another, as fortune 
might favour them. Such was the king's custom when 
he sat in hall at each high feast with his noble knights; 
therefore on that New Year tide he abode, fair of face, on 
the throne, and made much mirth withal." (Jessie L. 
Weston's Translation.) 

The monument of EngUsh prose romance is Malory's 
Le Morte Darthur, a book completed about 1470. Of its 
author no more is certainly known than he tells us himself 
a,t the close of his great work: "Here is the end of the 
book of King Arthur and of his noble knights of the Round 
Table, that when they were whole together there was ever 
an hundred and forty. And here is the end of the death 



42 INTRODUCTION 

of Arthur. I pray you all, gentle men and gentle women 
that readeth this book of Arthur and his knights from the 
beginning to the ending, pray for me while I am on life 
that God send me good deUverance, and when I am dead 
I pray you all pray for my soul, for this book was ended 
the ninth year of the reign of King Edward the Fourth 
by Sir Thomas Maleore, knight, as Jesu help him for his 
great might, as he is the servant of Jesu both day and 
night." 

Malory's book is an Arthurian mosaic on a grand scale, 
a compilation made up from such French and, in one or 
two instances, English romances as the good knight could 
collect. His own work, bulky as it is, has been estimated 
as representing only about one tenth of the material before 
him, from which he selected according to his taste, good 
but not infallible, and whose rambling pages he translated 
and condensed into his own clear, swift, poetic English. 
His main sources were the three French prose romances, 
themselves enormous patchworks. Merlin, Tristan, and 
Lancelot (including the Quest of the Holy Grail), but he 
seems to have had by him some romances no longer known, 
perhaps a lost romance of Gareth and a lost version of the 
Lancelot. For the death of Arthur he drew largely from 
English poems. Hfe does not include the story of Geraint 
and Enid and he appears ignorant of the early adventures 
of Lancelot. The outcome of his long labours is styled by 
Dr. Furnivall "a most pleasant jumble and summary of 
the legends about Arthur." 

The reading age was already supplanting the hstening 
age, and when, in 1476, Caxton set up at Westminster the 



INTRODUCTION 43 

first English printing-press, he was promptly importuned 
by gentlefolk to print the story of Arthur. Being no such 
"symple persone" as he calls himself, but a stickler for 
sound history, Caxton hesitated; his scruples were hap- 
pily overcome, and in 1485 there issued from his press, as 
a black-letter folio, "this noble and joyous book," Le 
Morte Darthur. In his preface Caxton recounts the argu- 
ments by which he was persuaded of the historical stand- 
ing of King Arthur and adds : — 

"Then all these things foresaid alleged, I could not 
well deny but there was such a noble king named Arthur, 
and reputed one of the nine worthy, and first and chief 
of the Christian men. And many noble volumes be made 
of him and of his noble knights in French, which I have 
seen and read beyond the sea, which be not had in our 
maternal tongue. But in Welsh be many, and also in 
French, and some in English, but no where nigh all. 
Wherefore, such as have late been drawn out briefly into 
English, I have, after the simple cunning that God hath 
sent to me, under the favour and correction of all noble 
lords and gentlemen, emprised [undertaken] to imprint a 
book of the noble histories of the said King Arthur, and 
of certain of his knights, after a copy unto me delivered ; 
which copy Sir Thomas Malory did take out of certain 
books of French, and reduced it into English. And I, 
according to my copy, have done set it in print, to the 
intent that noble men may see and learn the noble acts 
of chivalry, the gentle and virtuous deeds that some 
knights used in those days, by which they came to hon- 
our, and how they that were vicious were punished and 



44 INTRODUCTION 

oft put to shame and rebuke ; humbly beseeching all noble 
lords and ladies, with all other estates of what estate or 
degree they be of, that shall see and read in this said book 
and work, that they take the good honest acts in their 
remembrance, and to follow the same, wherein they shall 
find many joyous and pleasant histories, • and noble and 
renowned acts of humanity, gentleness, and chivalry. 
For herein may be seen noble chivalry, courtesy, human- 
ity, friendliness, hardiness, love, friendship, cowardice, 
murder, hate, virtue, and sin. Do after the good, and 
leave the evil, and it shall bring you to good fame and 
renown. And, for to pass the time, this book shall be 
pleasant to read in, but for to give faith and belief that 
all is true that is contained herein, ye be at your liberty." 

Malory's book stood high in popular favour. Caxton's 
assistant and successor, Wynkyn de Worde, printed a 
second edition before the close of the fifteenth century, 
and the sixteenth called for four more. Roger Ascham, 
that stout old moralist who tutored Edward VI and read 
Greek with EUzabeth, grumbled about it as schoolmasters 
to this day are wont to grumble about novels: "This is 
good stuff for wise men to laugh at, or honest men to take 
pleasure at. Yet I know when God's Bible was ban- 
ished the Court and Morte Arthur e received into the 
Prince's chamber. What toys the daily reading of such 
a book may work in the will of a young gentleman or a 
young maid that liveth wealthily and idly, wise men can 
judge and honest men do pity." (The Scolemaster.) 

English interest in chivalric romance was on the ebb 
from the era of the Commonwealth for nearly t>vo hundred 



IN TR OD UC TION 45 

years. Cromwell's Ironsides were stubborn realities be- 
fore whom those old knights errant might well fade into 
unsubstantial 'nothings. A seventh edition of Le Morte 
Darthur came out in 1634, but that sufficed not only for 
the seventeenth century but for the eighteenth as well. 

With the revival of the romantic spirit, in the early 
nineteenth Vcentury, King Arthur came to his own again. 
Southey, who had owned a "wretchedly imperfect copy" 
of Le Morte Darthur when he was a schoolboy, and had 
loved it next to his Faery Queen, brought out a new edi- 
tion in 1817, the tenth, two others having appeared the 
very year before. 

So far not one in the succession of great English poets 
had taken the adventures of Arthur and of his Round 
Table for a theme. Chaucer had frankly made fun of 
the chivalric romance in general and of the Lancelot in 
particular, a book, he saucily said, 

" That women hold in full great reverence." 

Over Spenser's Faery Queen hovers the heroic shade of 
Arthur as the ideal of perfect manhood, but Spenser's 
beautiful poem, for all its romantic colouring, is no genuine 
Arthurian epic, but an ever shifting vision of the warfare 
of the soul. Milton in his youth dreamed of pouring all 
the ripened powers of his genius into a great poetic work 
whose hero should be 

" Uther's son 
Begirt by British and Armoric knights," 

but he spent the prime of his manhood and wore out his 
eyesight as Cromwell's Latin secretary, gladly sacrificing 



46 INTRODUCTION 

his personal aspirations on what he beheved to be the altar 
of Enghsh freedom. Dryden thought of attempting the 
subject of King Arthur, but the times were unpropitious. 
As Scott puts it, with perhaps too enthusiastic a faith in 
Dryden 's abihty : — 

" Dryden in immortal strain 
Had raised the Table Round again, 
But that a ribald King and Court 
Bade him toil on to make them sport." 

Coleridge pronounced the Arthurian legends a fruitful 
source for a great national epic, but still the Lake Poets 
passed them by, and it was reserved for the Victorian 
laureate to bring a new world into allegiance to the hero 
of thirteen centuries ago. 

Tennyson had chanced on a copy of Malory's book when 
"Httle more than a boy," but even in childhood he had 
played with his brothers at knightly tournaments in "the 
Parson's field." Toward the end of his life he stated to 
a friend concerning the Arthurian theme: "When I was 
twenty-four I meant to write a whole great poem on it, 
and began to do it in the Morte d' Arthur. I said I should 
do it in twenty years, but the Reviews stopped me." 

The Lady of Shalott, that exquisite anticipation of the 

Lancelot and Elaine, was published in the volume of 1832. 

In this same volume, in The Palace of Art, was an allusion 

to 

** That deep- wounded child of Pendragon," 

this opening line being changed in the later editions so 
that the stanza read : — 



INTRODUCTION 47 



'Mythic Uther's deeply-wounded son 
In some fair space of sloping greens 
Lay, dozing in the vale of Avalon, 
And watched by weeping queens." 



The Morte d' Arthur was written as early as 1835, accord- 
ing to Fitzgerald, who says that Tennyson read it to him 
in that year. It must have had some little circulation, 
for Landor noted in his journal, under date of December 
9, 1837 : "Yesterday a Mr. Moreton, a young man of rare 
judgment, read to me a manuscript by Mr. Tennyson, 
very different in style from his printed poems. The sub- 
ject is the death of Arthur. It is more Homeric than 
any poem of our time, and rivals some of the noblest parts 
of the Odyssea." It was not published, however, until the 
1842 issue of Poems, when there also appeared the white 
lyric of Sir Galahad, and that dainty fragment in gold 
and green, Sir Launcelot and Queen Guinevere. 

In 1848 Tennyson, at that time something of a gypsy 
in habits as well as in look, wandered through Cornwall 
and visited the eccentric vicar of Morwenstow, Robert 
Stephen Hawker, himself an ardent Arthurian. The poet- 
vicar has left a description of his guest as "a tall, swarthy, 
Spanish-looking man, with an eye like a sword." As the 
two sat together on the brow of a cliff, Tennyson, in a 
voice "very deep, tuneful and slow — an organ, not a 
breath," revealed "the purpose of his journey to the West. 
He is about to conceive a Poem — the Hero King Arthur 
— the Scenery in part the vanished Land of Lyonnesse, 
between the Mainland and the Scilly Isles. Much con- 
verse then and there befell of Arthur and his Queen, his 



48 IN TROD UC TtON 

wound at Camlan and his prophesied return. Legends 
were exchanged, books noted down and references given." 
After the first joy of that red-letter memory was a Httle 
sobered, the Vicar's record ruefully adds: "I lent him 
Books and Manuscripts about King Arthur, which he car- 
ried off, and which I perhaps shall never see again." 

A twofold literary interest attaches to Tennyson's wed- 
ding journey, in 1850, inasmuch as the poet and his bride 
went first to Clevedon, where Hallam rests, and then to 
Glastonbury, the fabled burial-place of Arthur. 

In 1857, six copies of the two idylls relating to Enid 
and Vivien were privately printed, the title-page reading : — 

Enid and Nimue. 
The True aiid the False. 

In the following year, the idyll of Guinevere seems to 
have been completed, for Clough noted under date of 
June 23, 1858: — 

"Last night I heard Tennyson read a third Arthurian 
poem, the detection of Guinevere and the last interview 
with Arthur. These poems all appear to me to be maturer 
and better than any he has written hitherto." 

At last, in 1859, the Laureate published Idylls of the 
King, being Enid, Vivien, — the name finally preferred 
to Nimue, — Elaine, and Guinevere. The volume was re- 
ceived with general acclaim and a new edition, in 1862, 
carried the dedication to the memory of the Prince Con- 
sort. In 1869, Tennyson published The Holy Grail and 
Other Poems, including The Coming of Arthur, Pelleas and 
Ettarre, and The Passing of Arthur, expanded from the 



INTRODUCTION 49 

early Morte d' Arthur. The Contemporary Review of De- 
cember, 1871, gave the world The Last Tournament. The 
following year saw the publication of Garcth and Lynette. 
In an edition of the Laureate's Complete Works, also issued 
in 1872, these ten Idylls of the King were arranged in 
sequence, with many changes and additions in the text, 
and with the epilogue To the Queen. It was not until 
1885 that, in the Tiresias volume, Balin and Balan ap- 
peared, as introductory to Merlin and Vivien. Ultimately, 
in 1888, Enid was divided into the two idylls The Mar- 
riage of Geraint and Geraint and Enid, and the series stood 
complete, after a working period of fifty-six years. The 
order in which the idylls should be read is the following : — 

I. The Coming of Arthur. 
II. Gareth and Lynette. 

III. The Marriage of Geraint. 

IV. Geraint and Enid. 
V. Balin and Balan. 

VI. Merlin and Vivien. 

VII. Lancelot and Elaine. 

VIII. The Holy Grail. 

IX. Pelleas and Ettarre. 

X. The Last Tournament. 

XL Guinevere. 

XII. The Passing of Arthur. 

So grouped, the events seem to take place, as was early 
pointed out {Contemporary Review, May, 1873), in a mys- 
tic epoch corresponding to an earthly year. 

'' We go from the marriage season of spring in The 



50 INTRODUCTION 

Coming of Arthur, where the blossom of the May seems 
to spread its perfume over the whole scene, to the early- 
summer of the honeysuckle in Gareth, the quickly follow- 
ing mowing-season of Geraint, and the sudden summer- 
thunder-shower of Vivien — thence to the ' full summer ' 
of Elaine, with oriel casements ' standing wide for heat ' — 
and later, to the sweep of equinoctial storms and broken 
weather of the Holy Grail. Then come the autumn roses 
and brambles of Pelleas, and in the Last Tournament the 
close of autumn-tide, with all its 'slowly mellowing ave- 
nues,' through which we see Sir Tristram riding to his 
doom. In Guinevere the creeping mists of coming winter 
pervade the picture, and in the Passing of Arthur we come 
to 'deep midwinter on the frozen hills,' — and the end of 
all, on the year's shortest day (taken as the end of the 
year) — ' that day when the great light of heaven burned 
at his lowest in the rolHng year.' The king, who first 
appears on 'the night of the New Year,' disappears into 
the dawning hght of 'the new sun bringing the New Year,' 
and thus the whole action of the poem is comprised pre- 
cisely within the limits of the one principal and ever- 
recurring cycle of time." 

In regard to the perfected work, reading should pre- 
cede criticism, but three questions may pertinently be put 
in advance. 

First of all, why are these poems called idylls? The 
word means a little picture and, in literary use, has usually 
denoted a short, artistic, descriptive account of some rural 
scene or quiet, domestic action. By the choice of this 
term, the poet would seem to disclaim any pretension to 



INTR OD UC TION 51 

the grander epic treatment. Twelve pictures, elaborately 
wrought and unified by a significant sequence, he has 
given us of the Arthurian court. His method may well 
claim to be justified by its results, for these poems have 
won a wider hearing than any other narrative English 
verse of the Victorian era. 

Are the Idylls to be understood as narratives of heroic 
adventure or as spiritual parables? The answer tha. 
Tennyson gives in his Epilogue certainly favours an alle- 
gorical interpretation : — 

" But thou, my Queen, 
Not for itself, but thro' thy living love 
For one to whom I made it o'er his grave 
Sacred, accept this old imperfect tale, 
New-old, and shadowing Sense at w^ar with Soul 
Rather than that gray king, whose name, a ghost, 
Streams like a cloud, man-shaped, from mountain peak, 
And cleaves to cairn and cromlech still ; or him 
Of Geoffrey's book, or him of Malleor's." 

The poet would wax impatient, however, when his own 
words were pressed home to him. Of certain reviews he 
said : "They have taken my hobby and ridden it too hard, 
and have explained some things too allegorically, although 
there is an allegorical or perhaps rather a parabolic drift 
in the poem." 

And, finally, why are Arthurian scholars at odds with 
the Idylls of the King ? In proportion as they have come 
— largely because of the impetus given by these very 
Idylls to Arthurian study — to love the old legend, should 
they not be grateful to the poet for making it the joy of 
the modern multitude as it was of the mediaeval? Yet 



52 INTRODUCTION 

hear how one of the best of them will speak of Tenny- 
son's great predecessor in popularizing the Arthurian lit- 
erature, — of Malory. "He is a most unintelligent 
compiler," says (Studies in the Legend of the Holy Grail, 
p. 236) Mr. Alfred Nutt. ''He frequently chooses out of 
the many versions of the legend, the longest, most weari- 
some, and least beautiful; his own contributions to the 
story are beneath contempt as a rule." As Tennyson 
wrote his Idylls out of Malory, — with the exception of 
the Geraint idylls, which he founded on the Mabinogion, 
— he has reproduced Malory's departures from the main 
mediaeval lines of the story, especially in the characters 
of Vivien and Gawain, and has perpetrated various novel- 
ties of his own. ''As regards the Idylls/' says Miss Wes- 
ton (The Legend of Sir Lancelot du Lac, p. 114), freeing her 
mind in a footnote, "it can only be said that whereas 
Malory's juxtaposition of half a dozen compilations made 
confusion of a subject already more than sufficiently com- 
plex, Tennyson's edifying rearrangement of Malory made 
that confusion 'worse confounded.'" 

At the outset of the way, however, it is right to lose the 
heart to Tennyson's richly coloured, high-thoughted Idylls. 
Fortunate are they who then discover the simpler, less 
self-conscious beauty of Le Morte Darthur. And that one 
in thousands who may follow the alluring, green-beckoning 
paths back into the enchanted forest of the genuine med- 
iasval Arthurian romance and now and then bring forth 
for us all, as Mr. Nutt and Miss Weston so liberally are 
bringing, the treasures of the quest, can say what he will 
against any Round Table literature later than the thir- 



INTRODUCTION 53 

teenth century. Yet let them not forget that this nine- 
teenth-century return of their hero from Avalon but bears 
out ancient prophecy and Celtic expectation : — 

" Arthur is come again ; he cauuot die." 



GARETH AND LYNETTE 



GARETH AND LYNETTE 

The last tall son of Lot and Bellicent, 
And tallest, Gareth, in a showerful spring 
Stared at the spate. A slender-shafted Pine 
Lost footing, fell, and so was whirl'd away. 
" How he went down," said Gareth, " as a false knight 
Or evil king before my lance if lance 
Were mine to use — O senseless cataract. 
Bearing all down in thy precipitancy — 
And yet thou art but swollen with cold snows 
And mine is living blood : thou dost His will, lo 

The Maker's, and not knowest, and I that know, 
Have strength and wit, in my good mother's hall 
Linger with vacillating obedience, 
Prison'd, and kept and coax'd and whistled to — 
Since the good mother holds me still a child I 
Good mother is bad mother unto me ! 
A worse were better; yet no worse would I. 
Heaven yield her for it, but in me put force 
To weary her ears with one continuous prayer, 
Until she let me fly disc aged to sweep 20 

In ever-highering eagle-circles up 
To the great Sun of Glory, and thence swoop 
Down upon all things base, and dash them dead, 

67 



58 GARETH AND LYNETTE 

A knight of Arthur, working out his will, 
To cleanse the world. Why, Gawain, when he came 
With Modred hither in the summertime, 
Ask'd me to tilt with him, the proven knight. 
Modred for want of worthier was the judge. 
Then I so shook him in the saddle, he said, 
'Thou hast half prevail'd against me,' said so — 
he — 30 

Tho' Modred biting his thin lips was mute, 
For he is always sullen: what care I?" 

And Gareth went, and hovering round her chair 
Ask'd, ''Mother, tho' ye count me still the child. 
Sweet mother, do ye love the child?" She laugh'd, 
"Thou art but a wild-goose to question it." 
"Then, mother, an ye love the child," he said, 
" Being a goose and rather tame than wild, 
Hear the child's story." "Yea, my well-beloved, 
An 'twere but of the goose and golden eggs." 40 

And Gareth answer'd her with kindling eyes, 
" Nay, nay, good mother, but this egg of mine 
Was finer gold than any goose can lay ; 
For this an Eagle, a royal Eagle, laid 
Almost beyond eye-reach, on such a palm 
As glitters gilded in thy Book of Hours. 
And there was ever haunting round the palm 
A lusty youth, but poor, who often saw 
The splendour sparkling from aloft, and thought 
' An I could climb and lay my hand upon it, 5° 



GARETH AND LYNETTE 59 

Then were I wealthier than a leash of kings.' 

But ever when he reach'd a hand to climb, 

One, that had loved him from his childhood, caught 

And stay'd him, ' Climb not lest thou break thy neck 

I charge thee by my love,' and so the boy. 

Sweet mother, neither clomb, nor brake his neck, 

But brake his very heart in pining for it. 

And past away." 

To whom the mother said, 
"True love, sweet son, had risk'd himself and climb'd. 
And handed down the golden treasure to him." 60 

And Gareth answer'd her with kindling eyes, 
"Gold? said I gold? — ay then, why he, or she, 
Or whosoe'er it was, or half the world 
Had ventured — Imd the thing I spake of been 
Mere gold — but this was all of that true steel, 
Whereof they forged the brand Excalibur, 
And lightnings play'd about it in the storm, 
And all the little fowl were flurried at it. 
And there were cries and clashings in the nest, 
That sent him from his senses: let me go." 70 

Then Bellicent bemoan 'd herself and said, 
" Hast thou no pity upon my loneliness ? 
Lo, where thy father Lot beside the hearth 
Lies like a log, and all but smoulder'd out ! 
For ever since when traitor to the King 
He fought against him in the Barons' war, 
And Arthur gave him back his territory, 



60 GARETH AND LYNETTE 

His age hath slowly droopt, and now lies there 

A yet-warm corpse, and yet unburiable, 

No more; nor sees, nor hears, nor speaks, nor knows. 80 

And both thy brethren are in Arthur's hall, 

Albeit neither loved with that full love 

I feel for thee, nor worthy such a love : 

Stay therefore thou; red berries charm the bird, 

And thee, mine innocent, the jousts, the wars, 

Who never knewest finger-ache, nor pang 

Of wrench'd or broken limb — an often chance 

In those brain-stunning shocks, and tourney-falls, 

Frights to my heart ; but stay : follow the deer 

By these tall firs and our fast-falling burns ; 90 

So make thy manhood mightier day by day ; 

Sweet is the chase : and I will seek thee out 

Some comfortable bride and fair, to grace 

Thy climbing life, and cherish my prone year, 

Till falling into Lot's forgetfulness 

1 know not thee, myself, nor anything. 

Stay, my best son ! ye are yet more boy than man." 

Then Gareth, " An ye hold me yet for child. 
Hear yet once more the story of the child. 
For, mother, there was once a King, like ours. 100 

The prince his heir, when tall and marriageable, 
Ask'd for a bride ; and thereupon the King 
Set two before him. One was fair, strong, arm'd — 
But to be won by force — and many men 
Desired her; one, good lack, no man desired. 
And these were the conditions of the Kinar : 



GARETH AND LYNETTE 61 

That save he won the first by force, he needs 

Must wed that other, whom no man desired, 

A red-faced bride who knew herself so vile, 

That evermore she longM to hide herself, no 

Nor fronted man or woman, eye to eye — 

Yea — some she cleaved to, but they died of her. 

And one — they call'd her Fame; and one, — O 

Mother, 
How can ye keep me tether'd to you — Shame. . 

Man am I grown, a man's work must I do. i "^ 

Follow the deer? follow the Christ, the King, V 

Live pure, speak true, right wrong, follow the King — ^'^ 
Else, wherefore born?'' ; ^ 

To whom the mother said, 
" Sweet son, for there be many who deem him not. 
Or will not deem him, wholly proven King — 120 

Albeit in mine own heart I knew him King, 
When I was frequent with him in my youth. 
And heard him Kingly speak, and doubted him 
No more than he, himself; but felt him mine, 
Of closest kin to me : yet — wilt thou leave 
Thine easeful biding here, and risk thine all. 
Life, limbs, for one that is not proven King ? 
Stay, till the cloud that settles round his birth 
Hath lifted but a little. Stay, sweet son." 

And Gareth answer'd quickly, " Not an hour, 130 
So that ye yield me — I will walk thro' fire, 
Mother, to gain it — your full leave to go. 



62 GARETH AND LYNETTE 

Not proven, who swept the dust of ruin'd Rome 
From off the threshold of the realm, and crush'd 
The Idolaters, and made the people free? 
Who should be King save him who makes us free?" 

So when the Queen, who long had sought in 
vain 
To break him from the intent to which he grew, 
Found her son's will unwaveringly one. 
She answer'd craftily, " Will ye walk thro' fire ? 140 
Who walks thro' fire will hardly heed the smoke. 
Ay, go then, an ye must : only one proof, . 
Before thou ask the King to make thee knight, 
Of thine obedience and thy love to me, 
Thy mother, — I demand." 

And Gareth cried, 
" A hard one, or a hundred, so I go 
Nay — quick ! the proof to prove me to the quick !" 

But slowly spake the mother looking at him, 
" Prince, thou shalt go disguised to Arthur's hall, 
And hire thyself to serve for meats and drinks 150 
Among the scullions and the kitchen-knaves, 
And those that hand the dish across the bar. 
Nor shalt thou tell thy name to anyone. 
And thou shalt serve a twelvemonth and a day." 

For so the Queen believed that when her son 
Beheld his only way to glory lead 



GARETH AND LYNETTE 63 

Low down thro' villain kitchen-vassalage, 

Her own true Gareth was too princely-proud 

To pass thereby ; so should he rest with her, 

Closed in her castle from the sound of arms. i6o 

Silent awhile was Gareth, then replied, 
" The thrall in person may be free in soul, J5 
And I shall see the jousts. Thy son am Ii"?. 
And since thou art my mother, must obe^-^ \ 
I therefore yield me freely to thy will; / "^^ v 
For hence will I, disguised, and hire myself "^ ' "^ 
To serve with sculHons and with kitchen-knaves; 
Nor tell my name to any — no, not the King." ^ 

Gareth awhile lingered. The mother's eye 
Full of the wistful fear that he would go, 170 

And turning toward him wheresoe'er he turn'd, 
Perplext his outward purpose, till an hour, 
When waken'd by the wind which with full voice 
Swept bellowing thro' the darkness on to dawn, 
He rose, and out of slumber calling two 
That still had tended on him from his birth. 
Before the wakeful mother heard him, went. 

The three were clad like tillers of the soil. 
Southward they set their faces. The birds made 
Melody on branch, and melody in mid air. 180 

The damp hill-slopes were quicken'd into green, 
And the live green had kindled into flowers, 
For it was past the time of Easterday. 



64 GARETH AND LYNETTE 

So, when their feet were planted on the plain 
That broaden'd toward the base of Camelot, 
Far off they saw the silver-mist}^ morn 
Rolling her smoke about the Royal mount, 
That rose between the forest and the field. 
At times the summit of the high city flash'd; 
At times the spires and turrets half-way down 19c 
Prick'd thro' the mist ; at times the great gate shone 
Only, that open'd on the field below : 
Anon, the whole fair city had disappear'd. 

Then those who went with Gareth were amazed, 
One crying, " Let us go no further, lord. 
Here is a city of Enchanters, built 
By fairy Kings." The second echo'd him, 
"Lord, we have heard from our wise man at home 
To Northward, that this King is not the King, 
But only changeling out of Fairyland, 200 

Who drave the heathen hence by sorcery 
And Merlin's glamour." Then the first again, 
" Lord, there is no such city anywhere. 
But all a vision." 

Gareth answer'd them 
With laughter, swearing he had glamour enow 
In his own blood, his princedom, youth and hopes, 
To plunge old Merlin in the Arabian sea; 
So push'd them all unwilling toward the gate. 
And there was no gate like it under heaven. 
For barefoot on the keystone, which was lined 210 



G A RE Til AND LYNETTE 65 

And rippled like an ever-fleeting wave, 

The Lady of the Lake stood : all her dress 

Wept from her sides as water flowing away ; 

But like the cross her great and goodly arms 

Stretch'd under all the cornice and upheld: 

And drops of water fell from either hand ; 

And down from one a sword was hung, from one 

A censer, either worn with wind and storm ; 

And o'er her breast floated the sacred fish; 

And in the space to left of her, and right, 220 

Were Arthur's wars in weird devices done. 

New things and old co-twisted, as if Time 

Were nothing, so inveterately, that men 

Were giddy gazing there; and over all 

High on the top were those three Queens, the 

friends 
Of Arthur, who should help him at his need. 

Then those with Gareth for so long a space 
Stared at the figures, that at last it seem'd 
The dragon-boughts and elvish emblemings 
Began to move, seethe, twine and curl : they call'd 230 
To Gareth, "Lord, the gateway is alive." 

And Gareth likewise on them fixt his eyes 
So long, that ev'n to him they seem'd to move. 
Out of the city a blast of music peal'd. 
Back from the gate started the three, to whom 
From out thereunder came an ancient man, 
Long-bearded, saying, "Who be 3^e, my sons?" 



66 GARETH AND LYNETTE 

Then Gareth, " We be tillers of the soil, 
Who leaving share in furrow come to see 
The glories of our King : but these, my men, 240 

(Your city moved so weirdly in the mist) 
Doubt if the King be King at all, or come 
From Fairyland ; and whether this be built 
By magic, and by fairy Kings and Queens; 
Or whether there be any city at all. 
Or all a vision : and this music now 
Hath scared them both, but tell thou these the truth. " 

Then that old Seer made answer playing on him 
And saying, " Son, I have seen the good ship sail 
Keel upward, and mast downward, in the heavens, 250 
And solid turrets topsy-turvy in air : 
And here is truth; but an it please thee not, 
Take thou the truth as thou hast told it me. 
For truly as thou sayest, a Fairy King 
And Fairy Queens have built the city, son; 
They came from out a sacred mountain-cleft 
Toward the sunrise, each with harp in hand, 
And built it to the music of their harps. 
And, as thou sayest, it is enchanted, son, 
For there is nothing in it as it seems 260 

Saving the King ; tho' some there be that hold 
The King a shadow, and the city real : 
Yet take thou heed of him, for, so thou pass 
Beneath .this archway, then wilt thou become 
A thrall to his enchantments, for the King 
Will bind thee by such vows, as is a shame 



GARETH AND LYNETTE 67 

A man should not be bound by, yet the which 

No man can keep; but, so thou dread to swear, 

Pass not beneath this gateway, but abide 

Without, among the cattle of the field. 270 

For an ye heard a music, like enow 

They are building still, seeing the city is built 

To music, therefore never built at all, 

And therefore built for ever." 

Gareth spake 
Angered, " Old Master, reverence thine own beard 
That looks as white as utter truth, and seems 
Wellnigh as long as thou art statured tall ! 
Why mockest thou the stranger that hath been 
To thee fair-spoken?" 

But the Seer replied, 
" Know ye not then the Riddling of the Bards ? 280 
' Confusion, and illusion, and relation, 
Elusion, and occasion, and evasion'? 
I mock thee not but as thou mockest me. 
And all that see thee, for thou art not who 
Thou seemest, but I know thee who thou art. 
And now thou goest up to mock the King, 
Who cannot brook the shadow of any lie." 

Unmockingly the mocker ending here 
Turn'd to the right, and past along the plain; 
Whom Gareth looking after said, '^ My men, 290 

Our one white lie sits like a little ghost; 
Here on the threshold of our enterprise/. 



68 GARETH AND LYNETTE 

Let love be blamed for it, not she, nor I : 
Well, we will make amends." 

With all good cheer 
He spake and laugh'd, then enter'd with his twain 
Camelot, a city of shadowy palaces 
And stately, rich in emblem and the work 
Of ancient kings who did their days in stone ; 
Which Merlin's hand, the Mage at Arthur's court, 
Knowing all arts, had touch'd, and everywhere 300 
At Arthur's ordinance, tipt with lessening peak 
And pinnacle, and had made it spire to heaven. 
And ever and anon a knight would pass 
Outward, or inward to the hall : his arms 
Clash'd ; and the sound was good to Gareth's ear. 
And out of bower and casement shyly glanced 
Eyes of pure women, wholesome stars of love ; 
And all about a healthful people stept 
As in the presence of a gracious king. 

Then into hall Gareth ascending heard 310 

A voice, the voice of Arthur, and beheld 
Far over heads in that long-vaulted hall 
The splendour of the presence of the King 
Throned, and delivering doom — and look'd no more — 
But felt his young heart hammering in his ears. 
And thought, " For this half-shadow of a lie 
The truthful King will doom me when I speak." ^ 
Yet pressing on, tho' all in fear to find 
Sir Gawain or Sir Modred, saw nor one 



GARETH AND LYNETTE 69 

Nor other, but in all the listening eyes 320 

Of those tall knights, that ranged about the throne, 

Clear honour shining like the dewy star 

Of dawn, and faith in their great King, with pure 

Affection, and the light of victory, 

And glory gain'd, and evermore to gain. 

Then came a widow crying to the King, 
" A boon. Sir King ! Thy father, Uther, reft 
From my dead lord a field with violence : 
For howsoe'er at first he proffer'd gold. 
Yet, for the field was pleasant in our eyes, 330 

We yielded not ; and then he reft us of it 
Perforce, and left us neither gold nor field." 

Said Arthur, "Whether would ye? gold or field?" 
To whom the wom.an weeping, " Nay, my lord. 
The field was pleasant in my husband's eye." 

And Arthur, " Have thy pleasant field again, 
And thrice the gold for Uther's use thereof, 
According to the years. No boon is here, 
But justice, so thy say be proven true. 
Accursed, who from the wrongs his father did 340 

Would shape himself a right !" 

And while she past, 
Came yet another widow crying to him, 
" A boon, Sir King ! Thine enemy. King, am I. 
With thine own hand thou slewest my dear lord, 



70 GARETH AND LYNETTE 

A knight of Uther in the Barons' war, 

When Lot and many another rose and fought 

Against thee, saying thou wert basely born. 

I held with these, and loathe to ask thee aught. 

Yet lo ! my husband's brother had my son 

Thrall'd in his castle, and hath starved him dead; 350 

And standeth seized of that inheritance 

Which thou that slewest the sire hast left the son. 

So tho' I scarce can ask it thee for hate, 

Grant me some knight to do the battle for me, 

Kill the foul thief, and wreak me for my son." 

Then strode a good knight forward, crying to him, 
"A boon, Sir King ! I am her kinsman, I. 
Give me to right her wrong, and slay the man." 

Then came Sir Kay, the seneschal, and cried, 
" A boon. Sir King ! ev'n that thou grant her 
none, 360 

This railer, that hath mock'd thee in full hall — 
None; or the wholesome boon of gyve and gag." 

But Arthur, " We sit King, to help the wrong'd 
Thro' all our realm. The woman loves her lord. 
Peace to thee, woman, with thy loves and hates ! 
The kings of old had doom'd thee to the flames, 
Aurelius Emrys would have scourged thee dead. 
And Uther slit thy tongue : but get thee hence — 
Lest that rough humour of the kings of old 
Return upon me ! Thou that art her kin, 370 



GARETH AND LYNETTE 71 

Go likewise ; lay him low and slay him not, 
But bring him here, that I may judge the right, 
According to the justice of the King : 
Then, be he guilty, by that deathless King 
Who Uved and died for men, the man shall die." 

Then came in hall the messenger of Mark, 
A name of evil savour in the land, 
The Cornish king. In either hand he bore 
What dazzled all, and shone far-off as shines 
A field of charlock in the sudden sun 380 

Between two showers, a cloth of palest gold. 
Which down he laid before the throne, and knelt, 
Delivering, that his lord, the vassal king. 
Was ev'n upon his way to Camelot; 
For having heard that Arthur of his grace 
Had made his goodly cousin, Tristram, knight, 
And, for himself was of the greater state. 
Being a king, he trusted his liege-lord 
Would yield him this large honour all the more; 
So pray'd him well to accept this cloth of gold, 390 
In token of true heart and fealty. 

Then Arthur cried to rend the cloth, to rend 
In pieces, and so cast it on the hearth. 
An oak-tree smoulder'd there. ''The goodly knight! 
What ! shall the shield of Mark stand among these?" 
For, midway down the side of that long hall 
A stately pile, — whereof along the front. 
Some blazon'd, some but carven, and some blank, 



72 GARETH AND LYNETTE 

There ran a treble range of stony shields, — 

Rose, and high-arching overbrow'd the hearth. 400 

iVnd under every shield a knight was named : 

For this was Arthur's custom in his hall ; 

IWhen some good knight had done one noble deed, 

jHis arms were carven only ; but if twain, 

His arms were blazon'd also ; but if none, 

The shield was blank and bare without a sign 

Saving the name beneath; and Gareth saw 

The shield of Gawain blazon'd rich and bright, 

'And Modred's blank as death; and Arthur cried 

To rend the cloth and cast it on the hearth. 410 

" More like are we to reave him of his crown 
Than make him knight because men call him king. 
The kings we found, ye know we stay'd their hands 
From war among themselves, but left them kings; 
Of whom were any bounteous, merciful, 
Truth-speaking, brave, good livers, them we enrolled 
Among us, and they sit within our hall.> 
But Mark hath tarnish'd the great name of king. 
As Mark would sully the low state of churl : 
And, seeing he hath sent us cloth of gold, 420 

Return, and meet, and hold him from our eyes. 
Lest we should lap him up in cloth of lead. 
Silenced for ever — craven — a man of plots. 
Craft, poisonous counsels, wayside ambushings — 
No fault of thine : let Kay the seneschal 
Look to thy wants, and send thee satisfied — 
Accursed, who strikes nor lets the hand be seen !'' 



GABETH AND LYNETTE 73 

And many another suppliant crying came 
With noise of ravage wrought by beast and man, 
And evermore a knight would ride away. 430 

Last, Gareth leaning both hands heavily 
Down on the shoulders of the twain, his men, 
Approach'd between them toward the King, and 

ask'd, 
"A boon, Sir King (his voice was all ashamed), 
For see ye not how weak and hungerworn 
I seem — leaning on these ? grant me to serve 
For meat and drink among thy kitchen-knaves 
A twelvemonth and a day, nor seek my name. 
Hereafter I will fight." 

To him the King, 
" A goodly youth and worth a goodlier boon ! 440 

But so thou wilt no goodlier, then must Kay, 
The master of the meats and drinks, be thine." 

He rose and past ; then Kay, a man of mien 
Wan-sallow as the plant that feels itself 
Root-bitten by white lichen, 

" Lo ye now ! 
This fellow hath broken from some Abbey, where, 
God wot, he had not beef and brewis enow. 
However that might chance ! but an he work, 
Like any pigeon will I cram his crop, 
And sleeker shall he shine than any hog." 450 



74 GARKTII AND LYNETTE 

Then Lancelot standing near, " Sir Seneschal, 
Sleuth-hound thou knowest, and gray, and all the 

hounds ; 
A horse thou knowest, a man thou dost not know : • 
Broad brows and fair, a fluent hair and fine. 
High nose, a nostril large and fine, and hands 
Large, fair and fine ! — Some young lad's mystery — 
But, or from sheepcot or king's hall, the boy 
Is noble-natured. Treat him with all grace, 
Lest he should come to shame thy judging of him." 

Then Kay, " What murmurest thou of mystery ? 460 
Think ye this fellow will poison the King's dish ? 
Nay, for he spake too fool-like : mystery ! 
Tut, an the lad were noble, he had ask'd 
For horse and armour : fair and fine, forsooth ! 
Sir Fine-face, Sir Fair-hands ? but see thou to it 
That thine own fineness, Lancelot, some fine day 
Undo thee not — and leave my man to me." 

So Gareth all for glory underwent 
The sooty yoke of kitchen- vassalage ; 
Ate with young lads his portion by the door, 470 

And couch'd at night with grimy kitchen-knaves. 
And Lancelot ever spake him pleasantly. 
But Kay the seneschal, who loved him not. 
Would hustle and harry him, and labour him 
Beyond his comrade of the hearth, and set 
To turn the broach, draw water, or hew wood, 
Or grosser tasks; and Gareth bowed himself 



GARETH AND LYNETTE 75 

With all obedience to the King and wrought 

All kind of service with a noble ease 

That graced the lowliest act in doing it. 480 

And when the thralls had talk among themselves, 

And one would praise the love that linkt the King 

And Lancelot — how the King had saved his hfe 

In battle twice, and Lancelot once the King's — 

For Lancelot was the first in Tournament, 

But Arthur mightiest on the battle-field — 

Gareth was glad. Or if some other told. 

How once the wandering forester at dawn, 

Far over the blue tarns and hazy seas. 

On Caer-Eryri's highest found the King, 490 

A naked babe, of whom the Prophet spake, 

" He passes to the Isle Avilion, 

He passes and is heal'd and cannot die" — 

Gareth was glad. But if their talk were foul, 

Then would he whistle rapid as any lark. 

Or carol some old roundelay, and so loud 

That first they mock'd, but, after, reverenced him. 

Or Gareth telling some prodigious tale 

Of knights, who sliced a red life-bubbling way 

Thro' twenty folds of twisted dragon, held 500 

All in a gap-mouth'd circle his good mates 

Lying or sitting round him, idle hands, 

Charm'd ; till Sir Kay, the seneschal, would come 

Blustering upon them, like a sudden wind 

Among dead leaves, and drive them all apart. 

Or when the thralls had sport among themselves, 

So there were any trial of mastery, 



76 GARETH AND LYNETTE 

He, by two yards in casting bar or stone 

Was counted best; and if there chanced a joust, 

So that Sir Kay nodded him leave to go, 510 

Would hurry thither, and when he saw the knights 

Clash like the coming and retiring wave, 

And the spear spring, and good horse reel, the boy 

Was half beyond himself for ecstasy. 

So for a month he wrought among the thralls; 
But in the weeks that followed, the good Queen, 
Repentant of the word she made him swear. 
And saddening in her childless castle, sent, ■ 
Between the in-crescent and de-crescent moon. 
Arms for her son, and loosed him from his vow. 520 

This, Gareth hearing from a squire of Lot 
With whom he used to play at tourney once. 
When both were children, and in lonely haunts 
Would scratch a ragged oval on the sand. 
And each at either dash from either end — 
Shame never made girl redder than Gareth joy. 
He laugh'd; he sprang. "Out of the smoke, at 

once 
I leap from Satan^s foot to Peter's knee — 
These news be mine, none other's — nay, the King's — 
Descend into the city : " whereon he sought 530 

The King alone, and found, and told him all. 

" I have stagger'd thy strong Gawain in a tilt 
For pastime; yea, he said it: joust can I. 



GARETH AND LYXETTE 77 

Make me th}^ knight — in secret ! let my name 
Be hidd'n, and give me the first quest, I spring 
Like flame from ashes." 

Here the King's calm eye 
Fell on, and checked, and made him flush, and bow 
Lowly, to kiss his hand, who answer'd him, 
'' Son, the good mother let me know thee here, 
And sent her wish that I would yield thee thine. 540 

/Make thee my knight? my knights are sworn to 

j vows 

J Of utter hardihood, utter gentleness, 

;And, loving, utter faithfulness in love, 

lAnd uttermost obedience to the King." 

Then Gareth, lightly springing from his knees, 
" My King, for hardihood I can promise thee. 
For uttermost obedience make demand 
Of whom ye gave me to, the Seneschal, 
No mellow master of the meats and drinks ! 
And as for love, God wot, I love not yet, 550 

But love I shall, God willing." 

And the King ^ 
" ^lake thee my knight in secret ? yea, but he. 
Our noblest brother, and our truest man. 
And one with me in all, he needs must know." 

" Let Lancelot know, my King, let Lancelot know, 
Thy noblest and thy truest !^' 



78 GARETH AND LYNETTE 

And the King — 
" But wherefore would ye men should wonder at you ? 
Nay, rather for the sake of me, their King, 
And the deed's sake my knighthood do the deed, 
Than to be noised of.'' 

Merrily Gareth ask'd, 560 
" Have I not earn'd my cake in baking of it ? 
Let be my name until I make my name ! 
My deeds will speak: it is but for a day." 
So with a kindly hand on Gareth's arm 
Smiled the great King, and half-unwillingly 
Loving his lusty youthhood yielded to him. 
Then, after summoning Lancelot privily, 
" I have given him the first quest : he is not proven. 
Look therefore when he calls for this in hall. 
Thou get to horse and follow him far away. 570 

Cover the lions on thy shisld, and see 
Far as thou may est, he be nor ta'en nor slain." 

Then that same day there past into the hall 
A damsel of high lineage, and a brow 
May-blossom, and a cheek of apple-blossom, 
Hawk-eyes ; and lightly was her slender nose 
Tip- tilted like the petal of a flower; 
She into hall past with her page and cried, 

" O King, for thou hast driven the foe without, 
See to the foe within ! bridge, ford, beset 580 

By bandits, everyone that owns a tower 



GARETH AND LYNETTE 79 

The Lord for half a league. Why sit ye there ? 
Rest would I not, Sir King, an I were king, 
Till ev'n the lonest hold were all as free 
From cursed bloodshed, as thine altar-cloth 
From that best blood it is a sin to spill." 

"Comfort thyself," said Arthur, "I nor mine 
Rest : so my knighthood keep the vows they swore, 
The wastest moorland of our realm shall be 
Safe, damsel, as the centre of this hall. 590 

What is thy name? thy need?" 

" My name ? " she said — 
"Lynette my name; noble; my need, a knight 
To combat for my sister, Lyonors, 
A lady of high hneage, of great lands, 
And comely, yea, and comelier than myself. 
She lives in Castle Perilous : a river 
Runs in three loops about her living-place ; 
And o'er it are three passings, and three knights 
Defend the passings, brethren, and a fourth 
And of that four the mightiest, holds her stay'd 600 
In her own castle, and so besieges her 
To break her will, and make her wed with him : 
And but delays his purport till thou send 
To do the battle with him, th}^ chief man 
Sir Lancelot whom he trusts to overthrow. 
Then wed, with glory : but she will not wed 
Save whom she loveth, or a holy life. 
Now therefore have I come for Lancelot." 



80 GARETH A ND L YNE T TE 

Then Arthur mindful of Sir Gareth ask'd, 
" Damsel, ye know this Order lives to crush 6io 

All wrongers of the Realm. But say, these four, 
Who be they? What the fashion of the men?'' 

" They be of foolish fashion, O Sir King, 
The fashion of that old knight-errantry 
Who ride abroad, and do but what they will; 
Courteous or bestial from the moment, such 
As have nor law nor king; and three of these 
Proud in their fantasy call themselves the Day, 
Morning-Star, and Noon-Sun, and Evening-Star, 
Being strong fools ; and never a whit more wise 620 
The fourth, who alway rideth arm'd in black, 
A huge man-beast of boundless savagery. 
He names himself the Night and oftener Death, 
And wears a helmet mounted with a skull, 
And bears a skeleton figured on his arms, 
To show that who may slay or scape the three, 
Slain by himself shall enter endless night. 
And all these four be fools, but mighty men. 
And therefore am I come for Lancelot." 

Hereat Sir Gareth call'd from where he rose, 630 
A head with kindling eyes above the throng, 
"A boon, Sir King — this quest" then — for he 

mark'd 
Kay near him groaning like a wounded bull — 
" Yea, King, thou knowest thy kitchen-knave am I, 



GARETH AND LYNETTE 81 

And mighty thro' thy meats and drinks am I, 
And I can topple over a hundred such. 
Thy promise, King/' and Arthur glancing at him, 
Brought down a momentary brow. ''Rough, sud- 
den, 
And pardonable, worthy to be knight — 
Go therefore," and all hearers were amazed. 640 

But on the damsel's forehead shame, pride, wrath 
Slew the May-white : she lifted either arm, 
" Fie on thee, King ! I ask'd for thy chief knight, 
And thou hast given me but a kitchen-knave." 
Then ere a man in hall could stay her, turn'd, 
Fled down the lane of access to the King, 
Took horse, descended the slope street, and past 
The weird white gate, and paused without, beside 
The field of tourney, murmuring " kitchen-knave." 

Now two great entries open'd from the hall, 650 
At one end one, that gave upon a range 
Of level pavement where the King would pace 
At sunrise, gazing over plain and wood ; 
And down from this a lordly stairway sloped 
Till lost in blowing trees and tops of towers; 
And out by this main doorway past the King. 
But one was counter to the hearth, and rose 
High that the highest-crested helm could ride 
Therethro' nor graze : and by this entry fled 
The damsel in her wrath, and on to this 660 

Sir Gareth strode, and saw without the door 



82 GARETH AND LYNETTE 

King Arthur's gift, the worth of half a town, 
A warhorse of the best, and near it stood 
The two that out of north had followed him : 
This bare a maiden shield, a casque; that held 
The .horse, the spear; whereat Sir Gareth loosed 
A cloak that dropt from collar-bone to heel, 
A cloth of roughest web, and cast it down, 
And from it like a fuel-smother 'd fire, 
That lookt half-dead, brake bright, and flash'd as 
those 670 

Dull-coated things, that making slide apart 
Their dusk wing-cases, all beneath there burns 
A jeweird harness, ere they pass and fly. 
So Gareth ere he parted flash'd in arms. 
Then as he donn'd the helm, and took the shield 
And mounted horse and graspt a spear, of grain 
Storm-strengthen'd on a windy site, and tipt 
With trenchant steel, around him slowly prest 
The people, while from out of kitchen came 
The thralls in throng, and seeing who had w^ork'd 680 
Lustier than any, and whom they could but love, 
Mounted in arms, threw up their caps and cried, 
"God bless the King, and all his fellowship !'' 
And on thro' lanes of shouting Gareth rode 
Down the slope street, and past without the gate. 

So Gareth past with joy; but as the cur 
Pluckt from the cur he fights with, ere his cause 
Be cool'd by fighting, follows, being named. 
His owner, but remembers all, and growls 



GARETH AND LYNETTE 83 

Remembering, so Sir Kay beside the door 690 

Mutter'd in scorn of Gareth whom he used 
To harry and hustle. 

" Bound upon a quest 
With horse and arms — the King hath past his time — 
My sculhon knave ! Thralls to your work again, 
For an your fire be low^ ye kindle mine ! 
Will there be dawn in West and eve in East ? 
Begone ! — my knave ! — belike and like enow 
Some old head-blow not heeded in his youth 
So shook his wits they wander in his prime — 
Crazed ! How the villain lifted up his voice, 700 

Nor shamed to bawl himself a kitchen-knave. 
Tut : he was tame and meek enow with me. 
Till peacock'd up with Lancelot's noticing. 
Well — I will after my loud knave, and learn 
Whether he know me for his master yet. 
Out of the smoke he came, and so my lance 
Hold, by God's grace, he shall into the mire — 
Thence, if the King awaken from his craze, 
Into the smoke again." 

But Lancelot said, 
" Kay, wherefore wilt thou go against the King, 710 
For that did never he whereon ye rail, 
But ever meekly served the King in thee ? 
Abide : take counsel ; for this lad is great 
And lusty, and knowing both of lance and sword." 
"Tut, tell not me," said Kay, "ye are overfine 



84 GARETH AND LYNETTE 

To mar stout knaves with foolish courtesies:" 
Then mounted, on thro' silent faces rode 
Down the slope city, and out beyond the gate. 

But by the field of tourney lingering yet 
Mutter'd the damsel, " Wherefore did the King 720 
Scorn me ? for, were Sir Lancelot lackt, at least 
He might have yielded to me one of those 
Who tilt for lady's love and glory here"; 
Rather than — O sweet heaven ! O fie upon him — 
His kitchen-knave." 

To whom Sir Gareth drew 
(And there were none but few goodlier than he) 
Shining in arms, " Damsel, the quest is mine. 
Lead, and I follow." She thereat, as one 
That smells a foul-flesh'd agaric in the holt. 
And deems it carrion of some woodland thing, 730 
Or shrew, or weasel, nipt her slender nose 
With petulant thumb and finger, shrilling, ^' Hence ! 
Avoid, thou smellest all of kitchen-grease. 
And look who comes behind," for there was Kay. 
'' Knowest thou not me ? thy master ? I am Kay, 
We lack thee by the hearth." 

• And Gareth to him, 

" Master no more ! too well I know thee, ay — 
The most ungentle knight in Arthur's hall." 
^'Have at thee then," said Kay: they shock'd, and 
Kay 



GARETH AND LYNETTE 85 

Fell shoulder-slipt, and Gareth cried again, 740 

" Lead, and I follow/' and fast away she fled. 

But after sod and shingle ceased to fly 
Behind her, and the heart of her good horse 
Was nigh to burst with violence of the beat, 
Perforce she stay'd, and overtaken spoke. 

"Wlmt doest thou, scullion, in my fellowship? 
Deem'st thou that I accept thee aught the more 
Or love thee better, that by some device 
Full cowardly, or by mere unhappiness, 749 

Thou hast overthrown and slain thy master — thou ! — 
Dish-washer and brospch-turner, loon ! — to me 
Thou smellest all of kitchen as before." 

"Damsel," Sir Gareth answered gently, "say 
Whate'er ye will, but whatsoe'er ye say, 
I leave not till I finish this fair quest, 
Or die therefore." 

"Ay, wilt thou finish it? 
Sweet lord, how like a noble knight he talks ! 
The listening rogue hath caught the manner of it. 
But, knave, anon thou shalt be met with, knave, 
And then by such a one that thou for all 760 

The kitchen brewis that was ever supt 
Shalt not once dare to look him in the face." 

"I shall assay/' said Gareth with a smile 
That madden'd her, and away she flash'd again 



86 GARETH AND LYNETTE 

Down the long avenues of a boundless wood, 
And Gareth following was again beknaved. 

" Sir Kitchen-knave, I have miss'd the only way 
Where Arthur's men are set along the wood ; 
The wood is nigh as full of thieves as leaves : 
If both be slain, I am rid of thee ; but yet, 770 

Sir Scullion, canst thou use that spit of thine ? 
Fight, an thou canst: I have miss'd the only way." 

So till the dusk that followed evensong 
Rode on the two, re viler and reviled; 
Then after one long slope was mounted, saw. 
Bowl-shaped, thro' tops of many thousand pines 
A gloomy-gladed hollow slowly sink 
To westward — in the deeps whereof a mere, 
Round as the red eye of an Eagle-owl, 
Under the half-dead sunset glared ; and shouts 780 
Ascended, and there brake a servingman 
Flying from out of the black wood, and crying, 
"They have bound my lord to cast him in the 

mere." 
Then Gareth, " Bound am I to right the wrong'd, 
But straitlier bound am I to bide with thee." 
And when the damsel spake contemptuously, 
" Lead, and I follow," Gareth cried again, 
"Follow, I lead !" so down among the pines 
He plunged; and there, blackshadow'd nigh the 

mere. 
And mid-thigh-deep in bulrushes and reed, 790 



GARETH AND LYNETTE 87 

Saw six tall men haling a seventh along, 
A stone about his neck to drown him in it. 
Three with good blows he quieted, but three 
Fled thro' the pines ; and Gareth loosed the stone 
From off his neck, then in the mere beside 
Tumbled it; oilily bubbled up the mere. 
Last, Gareth loosed his bonds and on free feet 
Set him, a stalwart Baron, Arthur's friend. 

" Well that ye came, or else these caitiff rogues 
Had wreak'd themselves on me; good cause is 
theirs 800 

To hate me, for my wont hath ever been 
To catch my thief, and then like vermin here 
Drown him, and with a stone about his neck; 
And under this wan water many of them 
Lie rotting, but at night let go the stone, 
And rise, and flickering in a grimly light 
Dance on the mere. Good now, ye have saved a life 
Worth somewhat as the cleanser of this wood, 
And fain would I reward thee worshipfully. 
What guerdon will ye?'' 

Gareth sharply spake, 810 
" None ! for the deed's sake have I done the deed, 
In uttermost obedience to the King. 
But wilt thou yield this damsel harbourage?" 

Whereat the Baron saying, " I well believe 
You be of Arthur's Table," a light laugh 



88 G A BETH AND LYNETTE 

Broke from Lynette, '* Ay, truly of a truth, 

And in a sort, being Arthur's kitchen-knave ! — 

But deem not I accept thee aught the more, 

Sculhon, for running sharply with thy spit 

Down on a rout of craven foresters. 82c 

A thresher with his flail had scatter'd them. 

Nay — for thou smellest of the kitchen still. 

But an this lord will yield us harbourage, 

Well." 

So she spake. A league beyond the wood. 
All in a full-fair manor and a rich. 
His towers where that day a feast had been 
Held in high hall, and many a viand left, 
And many a costly cate, received the three. 
And there they placed a peacock in his pride 
Before the damsel, and the Baron set 830 

Gareth beside her, but at once she rose. 

" Meseems, that here is much discourtesy, 
Setting this knave, Lord Baron, at my side. 
Hear me — this morn I stood in Arthur's hall. 
And pray'd the King would grant me Lancelot 
To fight the brotherhood of Day and Night — 
The last a monster unsubduable 
Of any save of him for whom I calFd — 
Suddenly bawls this frontless kitchen-knave, 
' The quest is mine ; thy kitchen-knave am I, 840 

And mighty thro' thy meats and drinks am L.* 
Then Arthur all at once gone mad replies. 



GARETH AND LYNETTE 89 

^Go therefore/ and so gives the quest to him — 
Him — here — a villain fitter to stick swine 
Than ride abroad redressing women's wrong, 
Or sit beside a noble gentlewoman." 

Then half-ashamed and part-amazed, the lord 
Now look'd at one and now at other, left 
The damsel by the peacock in his pride, 
And, seating Gareth at another board, 850 

Sat down beside him, ate and then began. 

" Friend, whether thou be kitchen-knave, or not. 
Or whether it be the maiden's fantasy, 
And whether she be mad, or else the King, 
Or both or neither, or thyself be mad, 
I ask not : but thou strikest a strong stroke, 
For strong thou art and goodly therewithal, 
And saver of my life ; and therefore now. 
For here be mighty men to joust with, weigh 
Whether thou wilt not with thy damsel back 860 

To crave again Sir Lancelot of the King. 
Thy pardon ; I but speak for thine avail, 
The saver of my life." 

And Gareth said, 
" Full pardon, but I follow up the quest. 
Despite of Day and Night and Death and Hell." 

So when, next morn, the lord whose life he saved 
Had, some brief space, convey'd them on their way 



90 GARETH AND LYNETTE 

And left them with God-speed, Sir Gareth spake, 
" Lead, and I follow." Haughtily she replied, 

" I fly no more : I allow thee for an hour. 870 

Lion and stoat have isled together, knave, 
In time of flood. Nay, furthermore, methinks 
Some ruth is mine for thee. Back wilt thou, fool ? 
For hard by here is one will overthrow 
And slay thee : then will I to court again, 
And shame the King for only yielding me 
My champion from the ashes of his hearth." 

To whom Sir Gareth answer'd courteously, 
" Say thou thy say, and I will do my deed. 
Allow me for mine hour, and thou wilt find 880 

My fortunes all as fair as hers who lay 
Among the ashes and wedded the King's son." 

Then to the shore of one of those long loops 
Wherethro' the serpent river coil'd, they came. 
Rough thicketed were the banks and steep; the 

stream 
Full, narrow ; this a bridge of single arc 
Took at a leap ; and on the further side 
Arose a silk pavilion, gay with gold 
In streaks and rays, and all Lent-lily in hue, 
Save that the dome was purple, and above, 890 

Crimson, a slender banneret fluttering. 
And therebefore the lawless warrior paced 
Unarm'd, and calling, " Damsel, is this he, 



GARETH AND LYNETTE 91 

The champion thou hast brought from Arthur's hall ? 

For whom we let thee pass." "Nay, nay/' she said, 

" Sir Morning-Star. The King in utter scorn 

Of thee and thy much folly hath sent thee here 

His kitchen-knave : and look thou to thyself : 

See that he fall not on thee suddenly, 899 

And slay thee unarm'd: he is not knight but knave." 

Then at his call, " daughters of the Dawn, 
And servants of the Morning-Star, approach, 
Arm me," from out the silken curtain-folds 
Bare-footed and bare-headed three fair girls 
In gilt and rosy raiment came : their feet 
In dewy grasses glisten'd ; and their hair 
All over glanced with dewdrop or with gem 
Like sparkles in the stone Avanturine. 
These arm'd him in blue arms, and gave a shield 
Blue also, and thereon the morning-star. 910 

And Gareth silent gazed upon the knight. 
Who stood a moment, ere his horse was brought. 
Glorying ; and in the stream beneath him, shone 
Immingled with Heaven's azure waveringly, 
The gay pavilion and the naked feet. 
His arms, the rosy raiment, and the star. 

Then she that watch'd him, " Wherefore stare ye so ? 
Thou shakest in thy fear : there yet is time : 
Flee down the valley before he get to horse. 
Who will cry shame? Thou art not knight but 
knave." 92° 



92 GARETH AND LYNETTE 

Said Gareth, " Damsel, whether knave or knight, 
Far Hefer had I fight a score of times 
Than hear thee so missay me and revile. 
Fair words were best for him who fights for thee; 
But truly foul are better, for they send 
That strength of anger thro' mine arms, I know 
That I shall overthrow him/' 

And he that bore 
The star, when mounted, cried from o'er the bridge, 
" A kitchen-knave, and sent in scorn of me ! 
Such fight not I, but answer scorn with scorn. 930 
For this were shame to do him further wrong 
Than set him on his feet, and take his horse 
And arms, and so return him to the King. 
Come, therefore, leave thy lady lightly, knave." 
Avoid : for it beseemeth not a knave 
To ride with such a lady." 

" Dog, thou liest. 
I spring from loftier lineage than thine own." 
He spake; and all at fiery speed the two 
Shock'd on the central bridge, and either spear 
Bent but not brake, and either knight at once, 940 
Hurl'd as a stone from out of a catapult 
Beyond his horse's crupper and the bridge, 
Fell, as if dead; but quickly rose and drew, 
And Gareth lash'd so fiercely with his brand 
He drave his enemy backward down the bridge. 
The damsel crying, "Well-stricken, kitchen-knave!" 



GARETH AND LYNETTE 93 

Till Gareth's shield was cloven ; but one stroke 
Laid him that clove it grovelling on the ground. 

Then cried the fall'n, "Take not my life: I yield." 
And Gareth, " So this damsel ask it of me 950 

Good — I accord it easily as a grace." 
She reddening, '^ Insolent scullion: I of thee? 
I bound to thee for any favour ask'd !" 
"Then shall he die." And Gareth there unlaced 
His helmet as to slay him, but she shriek'd, 
" Be not so hardy, scullion, as to slay 
One nobler than thyself." "Damsel, thy charge 
Is an abounding pleasure to me. Knight, 
Thy life is thine at her command. Arise 
And quickly pass to Arthur's hall, and say 960 

His kitchen-knave hath sent thee. See thou crave 
His pardon for thy breaking of his laws. 
Myself, when I return, will plead for thee. 
Thy shield is mine — farewell; and, damsel, thou, 
Lead, and I follow." 

And fast away she fled. 
Then when he came upon her, spake, " Methought, 
Knave, when I watch'd thee striking on the bridge 
The savour of thy kitchen came upon me 
A little faintlier : but the wind hath changed : 
I scent it twenty-fold." And then she sang, 970 

"'O morning star' (not that tall felon there 
Whom thou by sorcery or unhappiness 
Or some device, hast foully overthrown), 



94 GARETH AND L YNE T TE 

' O morning star that smilest in the blue, 
O star, my morning dream hath proven true, 
Smile sweetly, thou ! my love hath smiled on me.' 

" But thou begone, take counsel, and away. 
For hard by here is one that guards a ford — 
The second brother in their fool's parable — 
Will pay thee all thy wages, and to boot. 980 

Care not for shame: thou art not knight but knave." 

To whom Sir Gareth answer'd, laughingly, 
" Parables ? Hear a parable of the knave. 
When I was kitchen-knave among the rest 
Fierce was the hearth, and one of my co-mates 
Own'd a rough dog, to whom he cast his coat, 
^ Guard it,' and there was none to meddle with it. 
And such a coat art thou, and thee the King 
Gave me to guard, and such a dog am I, 
To worry, and not to flee — and — knight or 
knave — 990 

The knave that doth thee service as full knight 
Is all as good, meseems, as any knight 
Toward thy sister's freeing.'' 

" Ay, Sir Knave ! 
Ay, knave, because thou strikest as a knight. 
Being but knave, I hate thee all the more." 

" Fair damsel, you should worship me the more, 
That, being but knave, I throw thine enemies." 



GARETH AND LYNETTE 95 

"Ay, ay/' she said, "but thou shalt meet thy 
match." 

So when they touch'd the second river-loop, 
Huge on a huge red horse, and all in mail looo 

Burnish'd to blinding, shone the Noonday Sun 
Beyond a raging shallow. As if the flower, 
That blows a globe of after arrowlets. 
Ten thousand-fold had grown, flash'd the fierce 

shield. 
All sun; and Gareth's eyes had flying blots 
Before them when he turn'd from watching him. 
He from beyond the roaring shallow roar'd, 
"What doest thou, brother, in my marches here?" 
And she athwart the shallow shrill'd again, 
" Here is a kitchen-knave from Arthur's hall loio 

Hath overthrown thy brother, and hath his arms." 
" Ugh !" cried the Sun, and vizoring up a red 
And cipher /ace of rounded foolishness. 
Pushed horse across the foamings of the ford. 
Whom Gareth met midstream : no room was there 
For lance or tourney-skill : four strokes they struck 
With sword, and these were mighty ; the new knight 
Had fear he might be shamed ; but as the Sun 
Heaved up a ponderous arm to strike the fifth, 
The hoof of his horse slipt in the stream, the stream 1020 
Descended, and the Sun was wash'd away. 

Then Gareth laid his lance athwart the ford; 
So drew him home; but he that fought no more, 



96 GARETH AND LYNETTE 

As being all bone- batter 'd on the rock, 

Yielded; and Gareth sent him to the King. 

"Myself when I return will plead for thee/' 

"Lead, and I follow.'' Quietly she led. 

"Hath not the good wind, damsel, changed again?" 

" Nay, not a point : nor art thou victor here. 

There lies a ridge of slate across the ford ; 1030 

His horse thereon stumbled — ay, for I saw it. 



i( c 



O Sun' (not this strong fool whom thou. Sir 
Knave, 
Hast overthrown thro' mere unhappiness) , 
' O Sun, that wakenest all to bliss or pain, 
O moon, that layest all to sleep again. 
Shine sweetly : twice my love hath smiled on me.*" 

" What knowest thou of lovesong or of love ? 
Nay, nay, God wot, so thou wert nobly born, 
Thou hast a pleasant presence. Yea, perchance, — 

". ' O dewy flowers that open to the sun, 104c 

O dewy flowers that close when day is done. 
Blow sweetly: twice my love hath smiled on me.' 

" What knowest thou of flowers, except, belike. 
To garnish meats with ? hath not our good King 
Who lent me thee, the flower of kitchendom, 
A foolish love for flowers ? what stick ye round 
The pasty ? wherewithal deck the boar's head ? 
Flowers ? nay, the boar hath rosemaries and bay. 



GARETH AND LYNETTE 97 

" ' O birds, that warble to the morning sky, 
O birds that warble as the day goes by, 1050 

Sing sweetly: twice my love hath smiled on me.' 

"What knowest thou of birds, lark, mavis, merle, 
Linnet ? what dream ye when they utter forth 
May-music growing with the growing light, 
Their sweet sun-worship ? these be for the snare 
(So runs thy fancy), these be for the spit, 
Larding and basting. See thou have not now 
Larded thy last, except thou turn and fly. 
There stands the third fool of their allegory." 

For there beyond a bridge of treble bow, 1060 

All in a rose-red from the west, and all 
Naked it seem'd, and glowing in the broad 
Deep-dimpled current underneath, the knight. 
That named himself the Star of Evening, stood. 

And Gareth, " Wherefore waits the madman there 
Naked in open dayshine ? " "Nay,'' she cried, 
" Not naked, only wrapt in harden'd skins 
That fit him hke his own; and so ye cleave 
His armour off him, these will turn the blade." 

Then the third brother shouted o'er the bridge, 1070 
" O brother-star, why shine ye here so low ? 
Thy ward is higher up : but have ye slain 
The damsel's champion?" and the damsel cried, 



98 GARETH AND LYNETTE 

" No star of thine, but shot from Arthur's heaven 
With all disaster unto thine and thee ! 
For both thy younger brethren have gone down 
Before this youth ; and so wilt thou, Sir Star ; 
Art thou not old?" 

" Old, damsel, old and hard. 
Old, with the might and breath of twenty boys." 
Said Gareth, " Old, and over-bold in brag ! loSo 

But that same strength which threw the Morning Star 
Can throw the Evening." 

Then that other blew 
A hard and deadly note upon the horn. 
" Approach and arm me ! " With slow steps from out 
An old storm-beaten, russet, many-stain'd 
Pavilion, forth a grizzled damsel came. 
And arm'd him in old arms, and brought a helm 
With but a drying evergreen for crest, 
And gave a shield whereon the Star of Even 
Half-tarnish'd and half-bright, his emblem, shone. 1090 
But when it glitter'd o'er the saddle-bow, 
They madly hurl'd together on the bridge ; 
And Gareth overthrew him, lighted, drew, 
There met him drawn, and overthrew him again, 
But up like fire he started : and as oft 
As Gareth brought him grovelling on his knees, 
So many a time he vaulted up again; 
Till Gareth panted hard, and his great heart, 
Foredooming all his trouble was in vain, 



GARETH AND LYNETTE 99 

Laboured within him, for he seem'd as one noo 

That all in later, sadder age begins 

To war against ill uses of a life, 

But these from all his life arise, and cry, 

"Thou hast made us lords, and canst not put us 

down !" 
He half despairs ; so Gareth seem'd to strike 
Vainly, the damsel clamouring all the while, 
"Well done, knave-knight, well stricken, O good 

knight-knave — 
O knave, as noble as any of all the knights — 
vShame me not, shame me not. I have prophesied — 
Strike, thou art worthy of the Table Round — mo 
His arms are old, he trusts the hardened skin — 
Strike — strike — the wind will never change again/' 
And Gareth hearing ever stronglier smote. 
And hew'd great pieces of his armour off him, 
But lash'd in vain against the hardened skin. 
And could not wholly bring him under, more 
Than loud Southwesterns, rolling ridge on ridge, 
The buoy that rides at sea, and dips and springs 
For ever ; till at length Sir Gareth's brand 
Clash'd his, and brake it utterly to the hilt. 1120 

"I have thee now;" but forth that other sprang, 
And, all unknightlike, writhed his wiry arms 
Around him, till he felt, despite his mail, 
Strangled, but straining ev'n his uttermost 
Cast, and so hurl'd him headlong o'er the bridge 
Down to the river, sink or swim, and cried, 
"Lead, and I follow." 



100 GARETU AND LYNETTE 

But the damsel said, 
" I lead no longer ; ride thou at my side ; 
Thou art the kingliest of all kitchen-knaves. 

"'O trefoil, sparkling on the rainy plain, 1130 

O rainbow with three colours after rain, 
Shine sweetly: thrice my love hath smiled on me.' 

"Sir, — and, good faith, I fain had added — 
Knight, 
But that I heard thee call thyself a knave, — 
Shamed am I that I so rebuked, reviled, 
Missaid thee; noble I am; and thought the King 
Scorn'd me and mine; and now thy pardon, friend, 
For thou hast ever answered courteously. 
And wholly bold thou art, and meek withal 
As any of Arthur's best, but, being knave, 1140 

Hast mazed my wit: I marvel what thou art." 

"Damsel," he said, "you be not all to blame, 
Saving that you mistrusted our good King 
Would handle scorn, or yield you, asking, one 
Not fit to cope your quest. You said your say; 
Mine answer was my deed. Good sooth ! 1 hold 
He scarce is knight, yea but half-man, nor meet 
To fight for gentle damsel, he, who lets 
His heart be stirr'd with any foolish heat 
At any gentle damsel's waywardness. 1150 

Shamed? care not! thy foul sayings fought for me: 
And seeing now thy words are fair, methinks 



G A RE Til AND LYNETTE 101 

There ritlcs no kni^lit, not Lancelot, his great self, 
Hath force to quell me." 

Nigh upon that hour 
When the lone hern forgets his niehineholy, 
Lets down his other leg, and stretching, dreams 
Of goodly supper in the distant pool, 
Then turn'd the noble damsel smiling at him, 
And told him of a cavern hard at hand, 
Where l)read and l)aken meats and good red wine 1160 
Of Southland, whi(;h the Lady Lyonors 
Had sent her coming champion, waited him. 

Anon they ]7ast a narrow coml) wherein 
Were slabs of rock with figures, knights on horse 
Sculptured, and deckt in slowly-waning hues. 
"Sir Knave, my knight, a hermit once was here, 
Wliose holy hand hath fashion'd on the rock 
The war of Time against th(* soul of man. 
And yon four fools have suck'd their allegory 
rVom these damp walls, and taken but the form. 1170 
Know ye not these?" and Gareth lookt and read — 
In letters like to those the vexillary 
Hath left crag-carven o'er the streaming (lelt — 
*' Phosphorus," then "Meridiics" — " Hesperus " — 
"Nox" — "Mors," beneath five figures, armed men, 
Slab after slab, their faces forward all. 
And rurniing down the Soul, a Shape that fled 
With broken wings, torn raiment and loose hair, 
For help and shelter to the hermit's cave. 



102 GARETH AND LYNETTE 

" Follow the faces, and we find it. Look, nSo 

Who comes behind?" 

For one — delay 'd at first 
Thro' helping back the dislocated Kay 
To Camelot, then by what thereafter chanced, 
The damsel's headlong error thro' the wood — 
Sir Lancelot, having swum the river-loops — 
His blue shield-lions cover'd — softly drew 
Behind the twain, and when he saw the star 
Gleam, on Sir Gareth's turning to him, cried, 
''Stay, felon knight, I avenge me for my friend." 
And Gareth crying prick'd against the cry; 1190 

But when they closed — in a moment — at one touch 
Of that skiird spear, the wonder of the world — 
Went sliding down so easily, and fell. 
That when he found the grass within his hands 
He laugh'd; the laughter jarr'd upon Lynette: 
Harshly she ask'd him, " Shamed and overthrown, 
And tumbled back into the kitchen-knave. 
Why laugh ye? that ye blew your boast in vain?" 
"Nay, noble damsel, but that I, the son 
Of ojd King Lot and good Queen Bellicent, 1200 

And victor of the bridges and the ford. 
And knight of Arthur, here lie thrown by whom 
I know not, all thro' mere unhappiness — 
Device and sorcery and unhappiness — 
Out, sword; we are thrown!" And Lancelot an- 

swer'd. " Prince, 
O Gareth — thro' the mere unhappiness 



GARETH AND LYNETTE 103 

Of one who came to help thee, not to harm, 
Lancelot, and all as glad to find thee whole, 
As on the day when Arthur knighted him." 

Then Gareth, " Thou — Lancelot ! — thine the 
hand 1210 

That threw me ? An some chance to mar the boast 
Thy brethren of thee make — which could not chance — 
Had sent thee down before a lesser spear, 
Shamed had I been, and sad — O Lancelot — thou !" 

Whereat the maiden, petulant, " Lancelot, 
Why came ye not, when call'd ? and wherefore now 
Come ye, not call'd ? I gloried in my knave. 
Who being still rebuked, would answer still 
Courteous as any knight — but now, if knight. 
The marvel dies, and leaves me fooFd and trick'd, 1220 
And only wondering wherefore play'd upon: 
And doubtful whether I and mine be scorn'd. 
Where should be truth if not in Arthur's hall, 
In Arthur's presence? Knight, knave, prince and 

fool, 
I hate thee and for ever." 

And Lancelot said, 

" Blessed be thou. Sir Gareth ! knight art thou 
To the King's best wish. O damsel, be you wise 
To call him shamed, who is but overthrown? 
Thrown have I been, nor once, but many a time. 
Victor from vanquish'd issues at the last, la^o 



104 GARETH AND LYNETTE 

\ 

And overthrower from being overthrown. 

With sword we have not striven ; and thy good horse 

And thou are weary ; yet not less I felt 

Thy manhood thro' that wearied lance of thine. 

Well hast thou done; for all the stream is freed, 

And thou hast wreak'd his justice on his foes, 

And when reviled, hast answer'd graciously. 

And makest merry when overthrown. Prince, 

Knight, 
Hail, Knight and Prince, and of our Table Round !" 

And then when turning to Lynette he told 1240 

The tale of Gareth, petulantly she said, 
" Ay well — ay well — for worse than being fool'd 
Of others, is to fool one's self. A cave, 
Sir Lancelot, is hard by, with meats and drinks 
And forage for the horse, and flint for fire. 
But all about it flies a honeysuckle. 
Seek, till we find." And when they sought and found, 
Sir Gareth drank and ate, and all his life 
Past into sleep; on whom the maiden gazed. 
" Sound sleep be thine ! sound oause to sleep hast 
thou. 1250 

Wake lusty ! Seem I not as tender to him 
As any mother ? Ay, but such a one 
As all day long hath rated at her child. 
And vext his day, but blesses him asleep — 
Good lord, how sweetly smells the honeysuckle 
In the hush'd night, as if the world were one 
Of utter peace, and love, and gentleness \ 



GARETH AND LYNETTE 105 

Lancelot, Lancelot" — and she clapt her hands — 

" Full merry am I to find my goodly knave 

Is knight and noble. See now, sworn have I, 1260 

Else yon black felon had not let me pass, 

To bring thee back to do the battle with him. 

Thus an thou goest, he will fight thee first ; 

Who doubts thee victor ? so will my knight-knave 

Miss the full flower of this accomplishment." 

Said Lancelot, " Peradventure he, you name, 
May know my shield. Let Gareth, an he will, 
Change his for mine, and take my charger, fresh. 
Not to be spurred, loving the battle as well 
As he that rides him." '^ Lancelot-like," she said, 1270 
''Courteous in this. Lord Lancelot, as in all." 

And Gareth, wakening, fiercely clutch'd the shield; 
" Ramp ye lance-splintering lions, on whom all spears 
Are rotten sticks ! ye seem agape to roar ! 
Yea, ramp and roar at. leaving of your lord ! — 
Care not, good beasts, so well I care for you. 
O noble Lancelot, from my hold on these 
Streams virtue — fire — thro' one that will not shame 
Even the shadow of Lancelot under shield. 
Hence: let iis go." 

Silent the silent field 1280 

They traversed. Arthur's harp tho' summer-wan, 
In counter motion to the clouds, allured 
The glance of Gareth dreaming on his liege. 



106 GARETH AND LYNETTE 

A star shot: "Lo/' said Gareth, "the foe falls!" 

An owl whoopt: "Hark the victor pealing there !" 

Suddenly she that rode upon his left 

Clung to the shield that Lancelot lent him, crying, 

" Yield, yield him this again : 'tis he must fight : 

I curse the tongue that all thro' yesterday 

Reviled thee, and hath wrought on Lancelot now 1290 

To lend thee horse and shield : wonders ye have done ; 

Miracles ye cannot : here is glory enow 

In having flung the three : I see thee maim'd, 

Mangled: I swear thou canst not fling the fourth." 

" And wherefore, damsel ? tell me all ye know. 
You cannot scare me; nor rough face, or voice, 
Brute bulk of limb, or boundless savagery 
Appal me from the quest." 

"Nay, Prince," she cried, 
" God wot, I never look'd upon the face, 
Seeing he never rides abroad by day; 1300 

But watch'd him have I like a phantom pass 
Chilling the night : nor have I heard the voice. 
Always he made his mouthpiece of a page 
Who came and went, and still reported him 
As closing in himself the strength of ten, 
And when his anger tare him, massacring 
Man, woman, lad and girl — yea, the soft babe ! 
Some hold that he had swallow'd infant flesh. 
Monster ! O Prince, I went for Lancelot first. 
The quest is Lancelot's : give him back the shield." 1310 



GARETH AND LYNETTE 107 

Said Gareth laughing, " An he fight for this, 
BeUke he wins it as the better man : 
Thus — and not else !" 

But Lancelot on him urged 
All the devisings of their chivalry 
When one might meet a mightier than himself; 
How best to manage horse, lance, sword and shield, 
And so fill up the gap where force might fail 
With skill and fineness. Instant were his words. 

Then Gareth, " Here be rules. I know but one — 
To dash against mine enemy and to win. 1320 

Yet have I watch'd thee victor in the joust, 
And seen thy way." "Heaven help thee," sigh'd 
Lynette. 

Then for a space, and under cloud that grew 
To thunder-gloom palling all stars, they rode 
In converse till she made her palfrey halt. 
Lifted an arm, and softly whisper'd, "There." 
And all the three were silent seeing, pitched 
Beside the Castle Perilous on flat field, 
A huge pavilion like a mountain peak 
Sunder the gloomy crimson on the marge, 1330 

Black, with black banner, and a long black horn 
Beside it hanging ; which Sir Gareth graspt. 
And so, before the two could hinder him. 
Sent all his heart and breath thro' all the horn. 
Echo'd the walls; a light twinkled; anon 



108 GARETII AND LYNETTE 

Came lights and lights, and once again he blew; 

Whereon were hollow tramplings up and down 

And muffled voices heard, and shadows past; 

Till high above him, circled with her maids, 

The Lady Lyonors at a window stood, 134a 

Beautiful among lights, and waving to him 

White hands, and courtesy; but when the Prince 

Three times had blown — after long hush — at last — 

The huge pavilion slowly yielded up, 

Thro' those black foldings, that which housed therein. 

High on a nightblack horse, in nightblack arms, 

With white breast-bone, and barren ribs of Death, 

And crown'd with fleshless laughter — some ten 

steps — 
In the half-light — thro' the dim dawn — advanced 
The monster, and then paused, and spake no 

word. 1350 

But Gareth spake and all indignantly, 
" Fool, for thou hast, men say, the strength of ten. 
Canst thou not trust the limbs thy God hath given, 
But must, to make the terror of thee more, 
Trick thyself out in ghastly imageries 
Of that which Life hath done with, and the clod. 
Less dull than thou, will hide with mantling flowers 
As if for pity ? " But he spake no word; 
Which set the horror higher : a maiden swoon'd ; 
The Lady Lyonors wrung her hands and wept, 1360 
As doom'd to be the bride of Night and Death ; 
Sir Gareth's head prickled beneath his helm; 



GARETH AND LYNETTE 109 

And ev^n Sir Lancelot thro' his warm blood felt 
Ice strike, and all that mark'd him were aghast. 

At once Sir Lancelot's charger fiercely neigh'd, 
And Death's dark war-horse bounded forward with 

him. 
Then those that did not blink the terror, saw 
That Death was cast to ground, and slowly rose. 
But with one stroke Sir Gareth split the skull. 
Half fell to right and half to left and lay. 1370 

Then with a stronger buffet he clove the helm 
As throughly as the skull; and out from this 
Issued the bright face of a blooming boy 
Fresh as a flower new-borr ?.nd crying, " Knight, 
Slay me not : my three brethren bade me do it, 
To make a horror all about the house, 
And stay the world from Lady Lyonors. 
They never dream'd the passes would be past.'' 
Answer'd Sir Gareth graciously to one 
Not many a moon his younger, " My fair child, 1380 
What madness made thee challenge the chief knight 
Of Arthur's hall?" "Fair Sir, they bade me do it. 
They hate the King, and Lancelot, the King's friend. 
They hoped to slay him somewhere on the stream, 
They never dream'd the passes could be past." 

Then sprang the happier day from underground; 
And Lady Lyonors and her house, with dance 
And revel and song, made merry over Death, 
As being after all their foolish fears 



110 GARETH AND LYNETTE 

And horrors only proven a blooming boy. 1390 

So large mirth lived and Gareth won the quest. 

And he that told the tale in older times 
Says that Sir Gareth wedded Lyonors, 
But he, that told it later, says Lynette. 



LANCELOT AND ELAINE 



LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

Elaine the fair, Elaine the loveable, 
Elaine, the lily maid of Astolat, 
High in her chamber up a tower to the east 
Guarded the sacred shield of Lancelot ; 
Which first she placed where morning's earliest ray 
Might strike it, and awake her with the gleam; 
Then fearing rust or soilure fashion'd for it 
A case of silk, and braided thereupon 
All the devices blazon'd on the shield 
In their own tinct, and added, of her wit, 
A border fantasy of branch and flower, 
And yellow-throated nestling in the nest. 
Nor rested thus content, but day by day, 
Leaving her household and good father, climb'd 
That eastern tower, and entering barr'd her door, 
Stript off the case, and read the naked shield, 
Now guess'd a hidden meaning in his arms. 
Now made a pretty history to herself 
Of every dint a sword had beaten in it. 
And every scratch a lance had made upon it, 
Conjecturing when and where : this cut is fresh ; 
That ten years back ; this dealt him at Caerlyle ; 
That at Caerleon ; this at Camelot ; 

113 



3° 



114 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

And ah God's mercy, what a stroke was there ! 
And here a thrust that might have kill'd, but God 
Broke the strong lance, and roll'd his enemy down, 
And saved him : so she hved in fantasy. 

How came the Hly maid by that good shield 
Of Lancelot, she that knew not ev'n his name ? 
He left it with her, when he rode to tilt 
For the great diamond in the diamond jousts, 
Which Arthur had ordain'd, and by that name 
Had named them, since a diamond was the prize. 

For Arthur, long before they crown'd him King, 
Roving the trackless realms of Lyonnesse, 
Had found a glen, gray boulder and black tarn. 
A horror lived about the tarn, and clave 
Like its own mists to all the mountain side : 
For here two brothers, one a king, had met 
And fought together ; but their names were lost ; 40 
And each had slain his brother at a blow; 
And down they fell and made the glen abhorr'd : 
And there they lay till all their bones were bleach'd, 
And lichen'd into colour with the crags : 
And he, that once was king, had on a crown 
Of diamonds, one in front, and four aside. 
And Arthur came, and labouring up the pass, 
All in a misty moonshine, unawares 
Had trodden that crown'd skeleton, and the skull 
Brake from the nape, and from the skull the crown 50 
Roird into light, and turning on its rims 



LANCELOT AND ELAINE 115 

Fled like a glittering rivulet to the tarn : 

And down the shingly scaur he plunged, and caught, 

And set "it on his head, and in his heart 

Heard murmurs, "Lo, thou likewise shalt be King." 

Thereafter, when a King, he had the gems 
Pluck'd from the crown, and show'd them to his 

knights. 
Saying, "These jewels, whereupon I chanced 
Divinely, are the kingdom's, not the King's — 
For public use : henceforward let there be, 60 

Once every year, a joust for one of these : 
For so by nine years' proof we needs must learn 
Which is our mightiest, and ourselves shall grow 
In use of arms and manhood, till we drive 
The heathen, who, some say, shall rule the land 
Hereafter, which God hinder." Thus he spoke: 
And eight years past, eight jousts had been, and still 
Had Lancelot won the diamond of the year. 
With purpose to present them to the Queen, 
When all were won ; but meaning all at once 70 

To snare her royal fancy with a boon 
Worth half her realm, had never spoken word. 

Now for the central diamond and the last 
And largest, Arthur, holding then his court 
Hard on the river nigh the place which now 
Is this world's hugest, let proclaim a joust 
At Camelot, and when the time drew nigh 
Spake (for she had been sick) to Guinevere, 



116 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

" Are you so sick, my Queen, you cannot move 
To these fair jousts?" "Yea, lord," she said, "ye 
know it." 80 

"Then will ye miss," he answer'd, "the great deeds 
Of Lancelot, and his prowess in the lists, 
A sight ye love to look on." And the Queen 
Lifted her eyes, and they dwelt languidly 
On Lancelot, where he stood beside the King. 
He thinking that he read her meaning there, 
"Stay with me, I am sick; my love is more 
Than many diamonds," yielded ; and a heart 
Love-loyal to the least wish of the Queen 
(However much he yearned to make complete 90 

The tale of diamonds for his destined boon) 
Urged him to speak against the truth, and say, 
" Sir King, mine ancient wound is hardly whole, 
And lets me from the saddle;" and the King 
Glanced first at him, then her, and went his way. 
No sooner gone than suddenly she began : 

"To blame, my lord Sir Lancelot, much to blame! 
Why go ye not to these fair jousts ? the knights 
Are half of them our enemies, and the crowd 
Will murmur, ' Lo the shameless ones, who take 100 
Their pastime now the trustful King is gone !'" 
Then Lancelot vext at having lied in vain : 
" Are ye so wise ? ye were not once so wise, 
My Queen, that summer, when ye loved me first. 
Then of the crowd ye took no more account 
Than of the myriad cricket of the mead, 



I 



LANCELOT AND ELAINE 117 

When its own voice clings to each blade of grass, 
And every voice is nothing. As to knights, 
Them surely can I silence with all ease. 
But now my loyal worship is allow 'd no 

Of all men : many a bard, without offence. 
Has link'd our names together in his lay, 
Lancelot, the flower of bravery, Guinevere, 
The pearl of beauty : and our knights at feast 
Have pledged us in this union, while the King 
Would listen smiling. How then ? is there more ? 
Has Arthur spoken aught ? or would yourself. 
Now weary of my service and devoir, 
Henceforth be truer to your faultless lord?" 

She broke into a little scornful laugh : 120 

" Arthur, my lord, Arthur, the faultless King, 
That passionate perfection, my good lord — 
But who can gaze upon the Sun in heaven ? 
He never spake word of reproach to me. 
He never had a glimpse of mine untruth, 
He cares not for me : only here to-day 
There gleam'd a vague suspicion in his eyes : 
Some meddling rogue has tampered with him — else 
Rapt in this fancy of his Table Round, 
And swearing men to vows impossible, 130 

To make them like himself: but, friend, to me 
He is all fault who hath no fault at all : 
For who loves me must have a touch of earth ; 
The low sun makes the colour : I am yours, 
Not Arthur's, as ye know, save by the bond. 



118 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

And therefore hear my words: go to the jousts: 
The tiny-trumpeting gnat can break our dream 
When sweetest; and the vermin voices here 
May buzz so loud — we scorn them, but they sting." 

Then answer'd Lancelot, the chief of knights : 14c 
" And with what face, after my pretext made, 
Shall I appear, Queen, at Camelot, I 
Before a King who honours his own word, 
As if it were his God's?" 

"Yea," said the Queen, 
" A moral child without the craft to rule, 
Else had he not lost me : but listen to me, 
If I must find you wit : we hear it said 
That men go down before your spear at a touch, 
But knowing you are Lancelot ; your great name, 
This conquers : hide it therefore ; go unknown : , 150 
Win ! by this kiss you will : and our true King 
Will then allow your pretext, O my knight. 
As all for glory ; for to speak him true. 
Ye know right well, how meek soe'er he seem, 
No keener hunter after glory breathes. 
He loves it in his knights more than himself : 
They prove to him his work: win and return." 

Then got Sir Lancelot suddenly to horse. 
Wroth at himself. Not willing to be known, 
He left the barren-beaten thoroughfare, 160 

Chose the green path that show'd the rarer foot, 



LANCELOT AND ELAINE 119 

And there among the soUtary downs, 

Full often lost in fancy, lost his way ; 

Till as he traced a faintly-shadow'd track, 

That all in loops and links among the dales 

Ran to the Castle of Astolat, he saw 

Fired from the west, far on a hill, the towers. 

Thither he made, and blew the gateway horn. 

Then came an old, dumb, myriad-wrinkled man. 

Who let him into lodging and disarm'd. 170 

And Lancelot marveUd at the wordless man ; 

And issuing found the Lord of Astolat 

With two strong sons. Sir Torre and Sir Lavaine, 

Moving to meet him in the castle court; 

And close behind them stept the lily maid 

Elaine, his daughter : mother of the house 

There was not : some light jest among them rose 

With laughter dying down as the great knight 

Approached them : then the Lord of Astolat : 

" Whence comest thou, my guest, and by what name 180 

Livest between the lips ? for by thy state 

And presence I might guess thee chief of those, 

After the King, who eat in Arthur's halls. 

Him have I seen: the rest, his Table Round, 

Known as they are, to me they are unknown.'' 

Then answer 'd Lancelot, the chief of knights: 
"Knov\^n am I, and of Arthur's hall, and known, 
W^hat I by mere mischance have brought, my shield. 
But since I go to joust as one unknown 
At Camelot for the diamond, ask me not, 190 



120 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

Hereafter ye shall know me — and the shield — 
I pray you lend me one, if such you have, 
Blank, or at least with some device not mine." 

Then said the Lord of Astolat, " Here is Torre's : 
Hurt in his first tilt was my son, Sir Torre. 
And so, God wot, his shield is blank enough. 
His ye can have.'' Then added plain Sir Torre, 
"Yea, since I cannot use it, ye may have it." 
Here laugh'd the father saying, " Fie, Sir Churl, 
Is that an answer for a noble knight ? : 

Allow him ! but Lavaine, my younger here, 
He is so full of lustihood, he will ride, 
Joust for it, and win, and bring it in an hour, 
And set it in this damsel's golden hair. 
To make her thrice as wilful as before." 

" Nay, father, nay good father, shame me not 
Before this noble knight," said young Lavaine, 
*' For nothing. Surely I but play'd on Torre : 
He seem'd so sullen, vext he could not go : 
, A jest, no more ! for, knight, the maiden dreamt : 
That some one put this diamond in her hand, 
And that it was too slippery to be held, 
And slipt and fell into some pool or stream, 
The castle-well, behke; and then I said 
That if I went and if I fought and won it 
(But all was jest and joke among ourselves) 
Then must she keep it safelier. AH was jest. 
But, father, give me leave, an if he will, 



LANCELOT AND ELAINE 121 

To ride to Camelot with this noble knight : 

Win shall I not, but do my best to win : 220 

Young as I am, yet would I do my best." 

"So ye will grace me/' answer'd Lancelot, 
Smiling a moment, " with your fellowship 
O'er these waste downs whereon I lost myself, 
Then were I glad of you as guide and friend : 
And you shall win this diamond, — as I hear 
It is a fair large diamond, — if ye may, 
And yield it to this maiden, if ye will." 
"A fair large diamond," added plain Sir Torre, 
"Such be for queens, and not for simple maids." 230 
Then she, who held her eyes upon the ground, 
Elaine, and heard her name so tost about, 
Flush'd slightly at the slight disparagement 
Before the stranger knight, who, looking at her, 
Full courtly, yet not falsely, thus returned : 
" If what is fair be but for what is fair. 
And only queens are to be counted so. 
Rash were my judgment then, who deem this maid 
Might wear as fair a jewel as is on earth, 
Not violating the bond of like to like." 240 

He spoke and ceased : the lily maid Elaine, 
Won by the mellow voice before she look'd, 
Lifted her eyes, and read his lineaments. 
The great and guilty love he bare the Queen, 
In battle with the love he bare his lord. 
Had marr'd his face, and mark'd it ere his time. 



122 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

Another sinning on such heights with one, 

The flower of all the west and all the world, 

Had been the sleeker for it : but in him 

His mood was often like a fiend, and rose 250 

And drove him into wastes and solitudes 

For agony, who was 3^et a living soul. 

Marr'd as he w^as, he seem'd the goodliest man 

That ever among ladies ate in hall, 

And noblest, when she lifted up her eyes. 

However marr'd, of more than twice her years, 

Seam'd with an ancient swordcut on the cheek. 

And bruised and bronzed, she lifted up her eyes 

And loved him, with that love which was her doom. 

Then the great knight, the darling of the court, 260 
Loved of the loveliest, into that rude hall 
Stept with all grace, and not with half disdain 
Hid under grace, as in a smaller time, 
But kindly man moving among his kind : 
Whom they with meats and vintage of their best 
And talk and minstrel melody entertain'd. 
And much they ask'd of court and Table Round, 
And ever well and readily answer'd he : 
But Lancelot, when they glanced at Guinevere, 
Suddenly speaking of the wordless man, 270 

Heard from the Baron that, ten years before. 
The heathen caught and reft him of his tongue. 
" He learnt and warn'd me of their fierce design 
Against my house, and him they caught and maim'd; 
But I, my sons, and little daughter fled 



LANCELOT AND ELAINE 123 

From bonds or death, and dwelt among the woods 
By the great river in a boatman's hut. 
Dull days were those, till our good Arthur broke 
The Pagan yet once more on Badon hill." 

"0 there, great lord, doubtless," Lavaine said, 
rapt 280 

By all the sweet and sudden passion of youth 
Toward greatness in its elder, '' you have fought. 
O tell us — for we live apart — you know 
Of Arthur's glorious wars." And Lancelot spoke 
And answer 'd him at full, as having been 
With Arthur in the fight which all day long 
Rang by the white mouth of the violent Glem; 
And in the four loud battles by the shore 
Of Duglas ; that o^i Bassa ; then the war 
That thunder'd in and out the gloomy skirts 290 

Of Celidon the forest ; and again 
By castle Gurnion, where the glorious King 
Had on his cuirass worn our Lady's Head, 
Carved of one emerald center'd in a sun 
Of silver rays, that lighten'd as he breathed ; 
And at Caerleon had he help'd his lord, 
When the strong neighings of the wild white Horse 
Set every gilded parapet shuddering ; 
And up in Agned-Cathregonion too, 
And down the waste sand-shores of Trath Treroit, 300 
Where many a heathen fell ; " and on the mount 
Of Badon I myself beheld the King 
Charge at the head of all his Table Round, 



124 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

And all his legions cr3dng Christ and him, 

And break them; and I saw him, after, stand 

High on a heap of slain, from spur to plume 

Red as the rising sun with heathen blood. 

And seeing me, with a great voice he cried, 

' They are broken, they are broken ! ' for the King, 

However mild he seems at home, ncr cares 310 

For triumph in our mimic wars, the jousts — 

For if his own knight cast him down, he laughs 

Saying, his knights are better men than he — 

Yet in this heathen war the fire of God 

Fills him : I never saw his like : there lives 

No greater leader." 

■ While he utter'd this, 

Low to her own heart said the lil^ maid, 
"Save your great self, fair lord;'' and when he fell 
From talk of war to traits of pleasantry — 
Being mirthful he, but in a stately kind — 320 

She still took note that when the living smile 
Died from his Ups, across him came a cloud 
Of melancholy severe, from which again, 
Whenever in her hovering to and fro 
The lily maid had striven to make him cheer, 
There brake a sudden-beaming tenderness 
Of manners and of nature : and she thought 
That all was nature, all, perchance, for her. 
And all night long his face before her hved, 
As when a painter, poring on a face, 33° 

Divinely thro' all hindrance finds the man 



LANCELOT AND ELAINE 125 

Behind it, and so paints him that his face, 

The shape and colour of a mind and hfe, 

Lives for his children, ever at its best 

And fullest; so the face before her lived, 

Dark-splendid, speaking in the silence, full 

Of noble things, and held her from her sleep. 

Till rathe she rose, half-cheated in the thought 

She needs must bid farewell to sweet Lavaine. 

First as in fear, step after step, she stole 340 

Down the long tower-stairs, hesitating : 

Anon, she heard Sir Lancelot cry in the court, 

"This shield, my friend, where is it?" and Lavaine 

Past inward, as she came from out the tower. 

There to his proud horse Lancelot turn'd, and 

smooth'd 
The glossy shoulder, humming to himself. 
Half-envious of the flattering hand, she drew 
Nearer and stood. He look'd, and more amazed 
Than if seven men had set upon him, saw 
The maiden standing in the dewy light. 350 

He had not dream'd she was so beautiful. 
Then came on him a sort of sacred fear, 
For silent, tho' he greeted her, she stood 
Rapt on his face as if it were a God's. 
Suddenly flash'd on her a wild desire. 
That he should wear her favour at the tilt. 
She braved a riotous heart in asking for it. 
" Fair lord, whose name I know not — noble it is, 
I well believe, the noblest — will you wear 
My favour at this tourney?" "Nay," said he, 360 



126 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

" Fair lady, since I never yet have worn 

Favour of any lady in the lists. 

Such is my wont, as those, who know me, know/' 

"Yea, so," she answer'd; "then in wearing mine 

Needs must be lesser likelihood, noble lord. 

That those who know should know you." And he 

turn'd 
Her counsel up and down within his mind, 
And found it true, and answer'd, "True, my child. 
Well, I will wear it : fetch it out to me : 
What is it?" and she told him "A red sleeve 370 

Broider'd with pearls," and brought it: then he 

bound 
Her token on his helmet, with a smile 
Saying, " I never yet have done so much 
For any maiden living," and the blood 
Sprang to her face and fill'd her with delight; 
But left her all the paler, when Lavaine 
Returning brought the yet-unblazon'd shield, 
His brother's; which he gave to Lancelot, 
Who parted with his own to fair Elaine : 
" Do me this grace, my child, to have my shield 380 
In keeping till I come." "A grace to me," 
She answer'd, " twice to-day. I am your squire !" 
Whereat Lavaine said, laughing, " Lily maid, 
For fear our people call you lily maid 
In earnest, let me bring your colour back ; 
Once, twice, and thrice: now get you hence to bed:" 
So kiss'd her, and Sir Lancelot his own hand. 
And thus they moved away : she stay'd a minute, 



LANCELOT AND ELAINE 127 

Then made a sudden step to the gate, and there — 
Her bright hair blown about the serious face 390 

Yet rosy-kindled with her brother's kiss — 
Paused by the gateway, standing near the shield 
In silence, while she watch'd their arms far-off 
Sparkle, until they dipt below the downs. 
Then to her tower she climb'd, and took the shield, 
There kept it, and so hved in fantasy. 

Meanwhile the new companions past away 
Far o'er the long backs of the bushless downs, 
To where Sir Lancelot knew there lived a knight 
Not far from Camelot, now for forty years 400 

A hermit, who had pray'd, labour'd and pray'd, 
And ever labouring had scoop'd himself 
In the white rock a chapel and a hall 
On massive columns, like a shorecliff cave. 
And cells and chambers : all were fair and dry ; 
The green light from the meadows underneath 
Struck up and lived along the milky roofs; 
And in the meadows tremulous aspen-trees 
And poplars made a noise of falling showers. 
And thither wending there that night they bode. 410 

But when the next day broke from underground, 
And shot red fire and shadows thro' the cave. 
They rose, heard mass, broke fast, and rode away: 
Then Lancelot saying, " Hear, but hold my name 
Hidden, you ride with Lancelot of the Lake," 
Abash'd Lavaine, whose instant reverence. 



128 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

Dearer to true young hearts than their own praise, 

But left him leave to stammer, "Is it indeed?" 

And after muttering "The great Lancelot," 

At last he got his breath and answer'd, " One, 420 

One have I seen — that other, our liege lo;;d. 

The dread Pendragon, Britain's King of kings, 

Of whom the people talk mysteriously. 

He will be there — then were I stricken blind 

That minute, I might say that I had seen." 

So spake Lavaine, and when they reach'd the lists 
By Camelot in the meadow, let his eyes 
Run thro' the peopled gallery which half round 
Lay like a rainbow fall'n upon the grass. 
Until they found the clear-faced King, who sat 430 
Robed in red samite, easily to be known. 
Since to his crown the golden dragon clung. 
And down his robe the dragon writhed in gold, 
And from the carven-work behind him crept 
Two dragons gilded, sloping down to make 
Arms for his chair, while all the rest of them 
Thro' knots and loops and folds innumerable 
Fled ever thro' the woodwork, till they found 
The new design wherein they lost themselves, 
Yet with all ease, so tender was the work : 440 

And, in the costly canopy o'er him set, ' 
Blazed the last diamond of the nameless king. 

Then Lancelot answer'd young Lavaine and said, 
" Me you call great : mine is the firmer seat. 



LANCELOT AND ELAINE 129 

The truer lance : but there is many a youth 

Now crescent, who will come to all I am 

And overcome it; and in me there dwells 

No greatness, save it be some far-off touch 

Of greatness to know well 1 am not great : 

There is the man." And Lavaine gaped upon him 450 

As on a thing miraculous, and anon 

The trumpets blew; and then did either side. 

They that assail'd, and they that held the lists, 

Set lance in rest, strike spur, suddenly move, 

Meet in the midst, and there so furiously 

Shock, that a man far-off might well perceive. 

If any man that day were left afield, 

The hard earth shake, and a low thunder of arms. 

And Lancelot bode a little, till he saw 

Which were the weaker; then he hurl'd into it 460 

Against the stronger : little need to speak 

Of Lancelot in his glory ! King, duke, earl. 

Count, baron — whom he smote, he overthrew. 

But in the field were Lancelot's kith and kin, 
Ranged with the Table Round that held the lists, 
Strong men, and wrathful that a stranger knight 
Should do and almost overdo the deeds 
Of Lancelot ; and one said to the other, " Lo ! 
What is he ? I do not mean the force alone — 
The grace and versatility of the man ! 47° 

Is it not Lancelot?" "When has Lancelot worn 
Favour of any lady in the lists ? 
Not such his wont, as we, that know him, know," 



130 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

"How then? who then?'' a fury seized them all, 

A fiery family passion for the name 

Of Lancelot, and a glory one with theirs. 

They couch'd their spears and prick'd their steeds, 

and thus, 
Their plumes driv'n backward by the wind they made 
In moving, all together down upon him 
Bare, as a wild wave in the wide North-sea, 480 

Green-glimmering toward the summit, bears, with all 
Its stormy crests that smoke against the skies, 
Down on a bark, and overbears the bark, 
And him that helms it, so they overbore 
Sir Lancelot and his charger, and a spear 
Down-glancing lamed the charger, and a spear 
Prick'd sharply his own cuirass, and the head 
Pierced thro' his side, and there snapt, and remain'd. 

Then Sir Lavaine did well and worshipfully ; 
He bore a knight of old repute to the earth, 490 

And brought his horse to Lancelot where he lay. 
He up the side, sweating with agony, got. 
But thought to do while he might yet endure, 
And being lustily holpen by the rest, 
His party, — tho' it seem'd half-miracle 
To those he fought with, — drave his kith and kin, 
And all the Table Round that held the lists. 
Back to the barrier; then the trumpets blew 
Proclaiming his the prize, "who wore the sleeve 
Of scarlet, and the pearls; and all the knights, 50° 
His party, cried " Advance and take thy prize 



LANCELOT AND ELAINE 131 

The diamond;" but he answer'd, "Diamond me 
No diamonds ! for God's love, a Uttle air ! 
Prize me no prizes, for my prize is death ! 
Hence will I, and I charge you, follow me not." 

He spoke, and vanish'd suddenly from the field 
With young Lavaine into tlie poplar grove. 
There from his charger down he slid, and sat. 
Gasping to Sir Lavaine, "Draw the lance-head:" 
"Ah my sweet lord Sir Lancelot," said Lavaine, 510 
"I dread me, if I draw it, you will die." 
But he, " I die already with it : draw — 
Draw," — and Lavaine drew, and Sir Lancelot gave 
A marvellous great shriek and ghastly groan, 
And half his blood burst forth, and down he sank 
For the pure pain, and wholly swoon'd away. 
Then came the hermit out and bare him in, 
There stanch'd his wound; and there, in daily doubt 
Whether to live or die, for many a week 
Hid from the wide world's rumour by the grove 520 
Of poplars with their noise of falling showers, 
And ever-tremulous aspen-trees, he lay. 

But on that day when Lancelot fled the lists, 
His party, knights of utmost North and West, 
Lords of waste marches, kings of desolate isles. 
Came round their great Pendragon, saying to him, 
" Lo, Sire, our knight, thro' whom we won the day, 
Hath gone sore wounded, and hath left his prize 
Untaken, crying that his prize is death." 



132 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

" Heaven hinder/' said the King, " that such an one, 530 

So great a knight as we have seen to-day — 

He seem'd to me another Lancelot — 

Yea, twenty times I thought him Lancelot — 

He must not pass uncared for. Wherefore, rise, 

Gawain, and ride forth and find the knight. 
Wounded and wearied neefls must he be near. 

1 charge you that you get at once to horse. 

And, knights and kings, there breathes not one of you 

Will deem this prize of ours is rashly given : 

His prowess was too wondrous. We will do him 540 

No customary honour: since the knight 

Came not to us, of us to claim the prize, 

Ourselves will send it after. Rise and take 

This diamond, and deliver it, and return, 

And bring us where he is, and how he fares. 

And cease not from your quest until ye find." 

So saying, from the carven flower above, 
To which it made a restless heart, he took. 
And gave, the diamond : then from where he sat 
At Arthur's right, with smiling face arose, 550 

With smiling face and frowning heart, a Prince 
In the mid might and flourish of his May, 
Gawain, surnamed The Courteous, fair and strong. 
And after Lancelot, Tristram, and Geraint 
And Gareth, a good knight, but therewithal 
Sir Modred's brother, and the child of Lot, 
Nor often loyal to his word, and now 
Wroth that the King's command to sally forth 



LANCELOT AND ELAINE 133 

In quest of whom he knew not, made him leave 
The banquet, and concourse of knights and kings. 560 

So all in wrath he got to horse and went; 
While Arthur to the banquet, dark in mood, 
Past, thinking " Is it Lancelot who hath come 
Despite the wound he spake of, all for gain 
Of glory, and hath added wound to wound, 
And ridd'n away to die?'' So fear'd the King, 
And, after two days' tarriance there, returned. 
Then when he saw the Queen, embracing ask'd, 
"Love, are you yet so sick?" "Nay, lord," she 
said. 569 

"And where is Lancelot?" Then the Queen amazed, 
"Was he not with you? won he not your prize?" 
"Nay, but one like him." "Why that like was 

he." 
And when the King demanded how she knew, 
Said, " Lord, no sooner had ye parted from us. 
Than Lancelot told me of a common talk 
That men went down before his spear at a touch, 
But knowing he was Lancelot ; his great name 
Conquered ; and therefore would he hide his name 
From all men, ev'n the King, and to this end 
Had made the pretext of a hindering wound, 580 

That he might joust unknown of all, and learn 
If his old prowess were in aught decay'd ; 
And added, ' Our true Arthur, when he learns, 
Will well allow my pretext, as for gain 
Of purer glory.'" 



134 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

Then replied the King : 
"Far loveher in our Lancelot had it been, 
In lieu of idly dallying with the truth, 
To have trusted me as he hath trusted thee. 
Surely his King and most familiar friend 
Might well have kept his secret. True, indeed, 590 
Albeit I know my knights fantastical. 
So fine a fear in our large Lancelot 
Must needs have moved my laughter : now remains 
But httle cause for laughter : his own kin — 
111 news, my Queen, for all who love him, this ! — 
His kith and kin, not knowing, set upon him; 
So that he went sore wounded from the field : 
Yet good news too : for goodly hopes are mine 
That Lancelot is no more a lonely heart. 
He wore, against his wont, upon his helm 600 

A sleeve of scarlet, broider'd with great pearls. 
Some gentle maiden's gift.'' 

"Yea, lord," she said, 
"Thy hopes are mine," and saying that, she choked, 
And sharply turn'd about to hide her face, 
Past to her chamber, and there flung herself 
Down on the great King's couch, and writhed 

upon it. 
And clench'd her fingers till they bit the palm, 
And shriek'd out "Traitor" to the unhearing 

wall, 
Then flash'd into wild tears, and rose again. 
And moved about her palace, proud and pale. 610 



LANCELOT AND ELAINE 135 

Gawain the while thro' all the region round 
Rode with his diamond, wearied of the quest, 
Touched at all points, except the poplar grove, 
And came at last, tho' late, to Astolat : 
Whom glittering in enamell'd arms the maid 
Glanced at, and cried, "What news from Camelot, 

lord? 
What of the knight with the red sleeve?" "He 

won." 
"I knew it," she said. "But parted from the jousts 
Hurt in the side," whereat she caught her breath; 
Thro' her own side she felt the sharp lance go ; 620 
Thereon she smxOte her hand: wellnigh she swoon'd: 
And, while he gazed wondering ly at her, came 
The Lord of Astolat out, to whom the Prince 
Reported who he was, and on what quest 
Sent, that he bore the prize and could not find 
The victor, but had ridd'n a random round 
To seek him, and had wearied of the search, 
To whom the Lord of Astolat, " Bide with us, 
And ride no more at random, noble Prince ! 
Here was the knight, and here he left a shield ; 630 
This will he send or come for : furthermore 
Our son is with him; we shall hear anon, 
Needs must we hear." To this the courteous Prince 
Accorded with his wonted courtesy. 
Courtesy with a touch of traitor in it. 
And stay'd ; and cast his eyes on fair Elaine : 
Where could be found face daintier ? then her shape 
From forehead down to foot, perfect — again 



I.'U; I.AN(!KIJ>T ANIi KLAINK 

I'Voit) fool, lo iorchciid oxquiHik^ly turri'd: 

" Well if I hide, lo ! tliis wild fl()W(T lor iik; !" 640 

And olY Micy iiH't ;uiion^ Ww. ^ankwi yews, 

And (Jicrc he scl, hiiiiscll" lo plsiy iif)()ri her 

Willi s.'iJlyiiif!; wit, free lljishcs frojn jt li('i<i;lil, 

Above her, ^rjutcs of I, he coiicl , ;uid sori^s, 

Si^iis, .'ttid slow smiles, iitid golden elocjiieiiec; 

And .'Uiioroiis jidiihiUori, till the maid 

K.eheird ,'i,^.'i,iiist it, SM,yiti^' to liim, '' I'rinee, 

() loy.'il iie|)liew of oiir nohle Iviii^, 

Why ask you not to see the shield he left, 

WheiKM^ you mi;i,ht le;u-n his name'/ Why sli«^ht your 

Killer, 650 

And los(i th(^ (jUCNst \\{\ neiit you on, juid prov(! 

No surei- than 01 n* fal(;oii ycsterdny. 

Who lost the hern we slipt her at, and went 

'i'o M,ll th(! winds?" " Nay, by mine head," said he, 

" I lose it, as W(^ los(» th(^ lark in heaven, 

d.amsel, in the li^ht of your blue oy(^s; 

l>ut ;i,ii ye will it let me se(! the shield." 

And when the shield was brought, and (Javv;i,in sa\v 

Sir L.-uieelot's azun; lions, crown'd with ^old, 

K,:un|) in the Tu^ld, he smote his (hi^h, and moftk'd : 660 

" Ivi^ht \v;i,s the Ivin.i;' ! our Lancelot I that tru(; 

man!" 
''And ri^ht w;i,s I," she answer'd merrily, " I, 
Who drea,in'd my knight the «!;reatest kni^dit of all." 
" And if / drciini'd," said (J.'ivvjiin, " that you lov(» 
This ,«!;reatoHt knight, your |)a,r(lon ! lo, ye know it I 
Speak iherefore: shall I waste myself in vain?" 



LANdKLOT AND E L A 1 S K \'M 

ImiII simple W.MS licr .'iiiswcr, " VVIinl know I? 

My ln('( ln'cii li.'iAc Ikmmi ;iII my l"('ll()Wslii|); 

And I, wli('!i oflrii llicy linvc l.'ilkM of love, 

Wisli'd it liJid IxMMi iriy inoMuM", lor llicy l.'ilk'd, 070 

Mcsccm'd, of vvh.'il. ihcy kji(»w no! ; so luyHclf — 

I know nol if I know vvIimI Iimic Ioxc is, 

lint if I know, (lien, if I love nof liim, 

I know Mici'c is none oilier I cn.n love." 

" Yen,, hy (Jod's deuMi," snid he, "ye l<>\<' I'ini well, 

lint would no(, kiurw y(^ wluil. nil others know, 

And whom he loves." "So he it," eried MInine, 

And lifted her fnir i'.wi' niid moved nwny : 

Hiit he pui'siied her, enJIin^, " Stny n, litlle! 

One golden mimile's ^1 nee ! he wor(^ your sleeve: oHo 

VVojiM he hi'enk f.'iith with one I may not nnnie? 

Must our true mn,n ('lin,n';(' like n, lent nt Inst? 

Nny lik(» enow: why then, far he it from \\\i\ 

'\\) (tross our mighty Lnncelot in his loves 1 

Arid, dnrnsel, for I deem you know full well 

Where your <i;ren.t knight is hidden, let me len.v(^ 

My (juest with you; the dininond nJso: hei'e ! 

I'\)r if you lov(^, it will he sweet to \f^\\i\ it; 

Atid if \\(\ love, il> will he sweet to hnve it 

l*'rom your own hniid ; niid whether he love oi' not, <h)u 

A din,mond is n, din,inond. i'\*ire you well 

A thousn.nd times! a thousniid times fnrewell 1 

Yet, if he love, n,nd his love hold, we two 

May meet nt (;ourt herenfter: ther(!, I think, 

So y(; will lenrn tho (lourtesies of tlu; court, 

W(! two Hhall know each otlior." 



138 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

Then he gave, 
And shghtly kiss'd the hand to which he gave, 
The diamond, and all wearied of the quest 
Leapt on his horse, and carolling as he went 
A true-love ballad, lightly rode away. 700 

Thence to the court he past; there told the King 
What the King knew, "Sir Lancelot is the knight." 
And added, "Sire, my liege, so much I learnt; 
But fail'd to find him, tho' I rode all round 
The region : but I lighted on the maid 
Whose sleeve he wore; she loves him; and to her, 
Deeming our courtesy is the truest law% 
I gave the diamond : she will render it ; 
For by mine head she knows his hiding-place." ^ 

The seldom-frowning King frown'd, and replied, 710 
" Too courteous truly ! ye shall go no more 
On quest of mine, seeing that ye forget 
Obedience is the courtesy due to kings." 

He spake and parted. Wroth, but all in awe. 
For twenty strokes of the blood, without a word, 
Linger'd that other, staring after him; 
Then shook his hair, strode off, and buzz'd abroad 
About the maid of Astolat, and her love. 
All ears were prick'd at once, all tongues were loosed : 
" The maid of Astolat loves Sir Lancelot, 720 

Sir Lancelot loves the maid of Astolat." 
Some read the King's face, some the Queen's, and all 



LANCELOT AND ELAINE 139 

Had marvel what the maid might be, but most 

Predoom'd her as unworthy. One old dame 

(Jame suddenly on the Queen with the sharp news. 

She, that had heard the noise of it before. 

But sorrowing Lancelot should have stoop'd so low, 

Marr'd her friend's aim with pale tranquillity. 

So ran the tale like fire about the court. 

Fire in dry stubble a nine-days' wonder flared : 730 

Till ev'n the knights at banquet twice or thrice 

Forgot to drink to Lancelot and the Queen, 

And pledging Lancelot and the lily maid 

Smiled at each other, while the Queen, who sa; 

With lips severely placid, felt the knot 

Climb in her throat, and with her feet unseen 

Crush'd the wild passion out against the floor 

Beneath the banquet, where the meats became 

As wormwood, and she hated all who pledged. 

But far away the maid in Astolat, 740 

Her guiltless rival, she that ever kept 
The one-day-seen Sir Lancelot in her heart, 
Crept to her father, while he mused alone, 
Sat on his knee, stroked his gray face and said, 
" Father, you call me wilful, and the fault 
Is yours who let me have my will, and now, 
Sweet father, will you let me lose my wits?" 
"Nay," said he, "surely." "Wherefore, let me hence," 
She answer'd, "and find out our dear Lavaine." 
" Ye will not lose your wits for dear Lavaine : 750 

Bide," answer'd he: " we needs must hear anon 



140 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

Of him, and of that other.'' "Ay," she said, 

" And of that other, for I needs must hence 

And find that other, wheresoever he be, 

And with mine own hand give his diamond to him. 

Lest I be found as faithless in the quest 

As yon proud Prince who left the quest to me. 

Sweet father, I behold him in my dreams 

Gaunt as it were the skeleton of himself, 

Death-pale, for lack of gentle maiden's aid. 760 

The gentler-born the maiden, the more bound, 

My father, to be sv/eet and serviceable 

To noble knights in sickness, as ye know. 

When these have worn their tokens : let me hence 

I pray you." Then her father nodding said, 

" Ay, ay, the diamond : wit ye well, my child. 

Right fain were I to learn this knight were whole. 

Being our greatest : yea, and you must give it — 

And sure I think this fruit is hung too high 

For any mouth to gape for save a queen's — 77r 

Nay, I mean nothing: so then, get you gone, 

Being so very wilful you must go." 

Lightly, her suit allow'd, she slipt away, 
And while she made her ready for her ride, 
Her father's latest word humm'd in her ear, 
" Being so very wilful you must go," 
And changed itself and echo'd in her heart, 
"Being so very wilful you must die." 
But she was happy enough and shook it ofT, 
As we shake off the bee that buzzes at us ; 780 



LANCELOT AND ELAINE 141 

And in her heart she answer'd it and said, 



"What matter, so I help him back to hfe?" 

Then far away with good Sir Torre for guide 

Rode o'er the long backs of the bushless downs 

To Camelot, and before the city-gates 

Came on her brother with a happy face 

Making a roan horse caper and curvet 

For pleasure all about a field of flowers : 

Whom when she saw, " Lavaine," she cried, " Lavaine, 

How fares my lord Sir Lancelot ? " He amazed, 790 

" Torre and Elaine ! why here ? Sir Lancelot ! 

How know ye my lord's name is Lancelot?" 

But when the maid had told him all her tale, 

Then turn'd Sir Torre, and being in his moods 

Left them, and under the strange-statued gate, 

Where Arthur's wars were render'd mystically. 

Past up the still rich city to his kin. 

His own far blood, which dwelt at Camelot; 

And her, Lavaine across the poplar grove 

Led to the caves : there first she saw the casque 800 

Of Lancelot on the wall : her scarlet sleeve, 

Tho' carved and cut, and half the pearls away, 

Stream'd from it still ; and in her heart she laugh'd, 

Because he had not loosed it from his helm. 

But meant once more perchance to tourney in it. 

And when they gain'd the cell wherein he slept, 

His battle-writhen arms and mighty hands 

Lay naked on the wolfskin, and a dream 

Of dragging down his enemy made them move. 

Then she that saw him lying unsleek, unshorn, 810 



142 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

Gaunt as it were the skeleton of himself, 

Utter'd a httle tender dolorous cry. 

The sound not wonted in a place so still 

Woke the sick knight, and while he roll'd his eyes 

Yet blank from sleep, she started to him, saying, 

"Your prize the diamond sent you by the King:" 

His eyes glisten'd: she fancied "Is it for me?" 

And when the maid had told him all the tale 

Of King and Prince, the diamond sent, the quest 

Assigned to her not worthy of it, she knelt 820 

Full lowly by the corners of his bed. 

And laid the diamond in his open hand. 

Her face was near, and as we kiss the child 

That does the task assigned, he kiss'd her face. 

At once she slipt like water to the floor. 

"Alas," he said, "your ride hath wearied you. 

Rest must you have." "No rest for me," she said; 

"Nay, for near you, fair lord, I am at rest." 

What might she mean by that ? his large black eyes. 

Yet larger thro' his leanness, dwelt upon her, 830 

Till all her heart's sad secret blazed itself 

In the heart's colours on her simple face; 

And Lancelot look'd and was perplext in mind, 

And being weak in body said no more ; 

But did not love the colour; woman's love, 

Save one, he not regarded, and so turn'd 

Sighing, and feign'd a sleep until he slept. 

Then rose Elaine and glided thro' the fields. 
And past beneath the weirdly-sculptured gates 



LANCELOT AND ELAINE 143 

Far up the dim rich city to her kin; 840 

There bode the night : but woke with dawn, and past 

Down thro' the dim rich city to the fields, 

Thence to the cave : so day by day she past 

In either twihght ghost-Hke to and fro 

Ghding, and every day she tended him, 

And hkewise many a night : and Lancelot 

Would, tho' he call'd his wound a little hurt 

Whereof he should be quickly whole, at times 

Brain-feverous in his heat and agony, seem 

Uncourteous, even he : but the meek maid 850 

Sweetly forbore him ever, being to him 

Meeker than any child to a rough nurse, 

Milder than any mother to a sick child, 

And never woman yet, since man's first fall, 

Did kindlier unto man, but her deep love 

Upbore her; till the hermit, skill'd in all 

The simples and the science of that time. 

Told him that her fine care had saved his life. 

And the sick man forgot her simple blush. 

Would call her friend and sister, sweet Elaine, 860 

Would listen for her coming and regret 

Her parting step, and held her tenderly. 

And loved her with all love except the love 

Of man and woman when they love their best. 

Closest and sweetest, and had died the death 

In any knightly fashion for her sake. 

And peradventure had He seen her first 

She might have made this and that other world 

Another world for the sick man ; but now 



144 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

The shackles of an old love straiten'd him, 870 

His honour rooted in dishonour stood, 
And faith unfaithful kept him falsely true. 

Yet the great knight in his mid-sickness made 
Full many a holy vow and pure resolve. 
These, as but born of sickness, could not live: 
For when the blood ran lustier in him again, 
Full often the bright image of one face. 
Making a treacherous quiet in his heart, 
Dispersed his resolution like a cloud. 
Then if the maiden, while that ghostly grace 880 

Beam'd on his fancy, spoke, he answer'd not, 
Or short and coldly, and she knew right well 
What the rough sickness meant, but what this meant 
She knew not, and the sorrow dimm'd her sight, 
And drave her e'er her time across the fields 
Far into the rich city, where alone 
She murmur'd, " Vain, in vain : it cannot be. 
He will not love me: how then? must I die?" 
Then as a little helpless innocent bird. 
That has but one plain passage of few notes, 890 

Will sing the simple passage o'er and o'er 
For all an April morning, till the ear 
Wearies to hear it, so the simple maid 
Went half the night repeating, "Must I die?'' 
And now to right she turn'd, and now to left. 
And found no ease in turning or in rest ; 
And "Him or death," she mutter'd, "death or him," 
Again and like a burthen, "Him or death." 



LANCELOT AND ELAINE 145 

But when Sir Lancelot's deadly hurt was whole, 
To Astolat returning rode the three. 900 

There morn by morn, arraying her sweet self 
In that wherein she deem'd she look'd her best. 
She came before Sir Lancelot, for she thought 
" If I be loved, these are my festal robes. 
If not, the victim's flowers before he fall/' 
And Lancelot ever prest upon the maid 
That she should ask some goodly gift of him 
For her own self or hers ; " and do not shun 
To speak the wish most near to your true heart ; 
Such service have ye done me, that I make 910 

My will of yours, and Prince and Lord am I 
In mine own land, and what I will I can." 
Then like a ghost she lifted up her face. 
But like a ghost without the power to speak. 
And Lancelot saw that she withheld her wish, 
And bode among them yet a little space 
Till he should learn it ; ancTone morn it chanced 
He found her in among the garden yews, 
And said, ^' Delay no longer, speak your wish, 
Seeing I go to-day : " then out she brake : 920 

" Going ? and we shall never see you more. 
And I must die for want of one bold word." 
*' Speak: that I live to hear," he said, '^is yours." 
Then suddenly and passionately she spoke : 
" I have gone mad. I love you : let me die." 
"Ah, sister," answer'd Lancelot, "what is this?" 
And innocently extending her white arms, 
" Your love," she said, " your love — to be your wife." 



146 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

And Lancelot answer'd, " Had I chosen to wed, 

I had been wedded earher, sweet Elaine : 930 

But now there never will be wife of mine." 

'^ No, no,'' she cried, " I care not to be wife, 

But to be with you still, to see your face. 

To serve you, and to follow you thro' the world." 

And Lancelot answer'd, " Nay, the world, the world, 

All ear and eye, with such a stupid heart 

To interpret ear and eye, and such a tongue 

To blare its own interpretation — nay. 

Full ill then should I quit your brother's love, 

And your good father's kindness." And she said, 940 

" Not to be with you, not to see your face — 

Alas for me then, my good days are done." 

"Nay, noble maid," he answer'd, "ten times nay ! 

This is not love : but love's first flash in youth. 

Most common: yea, I know it of mine own self: 

And you yourself will smile at your own self 

Hereafter, when you yield yaur flower of life 

To one more fitly yours, not thrice your age : 

And then will I, for true you are and sweet 

Beyond mine old belief in womanhood, 950 

More specially should your good knight be poor, 

Endow you with broad land and territory 

Even to the half my realm beyond the seas. 

So that would make ye happy : furthermore, 

Ev'n to the death, as tho' you were my blood, 

In all your quarrels will I be your knight. 

This will I do, dear damsel, for your sake, 

And more than this I cannot." 



LANCELOT AND ELAINE 147 

While he spoke 
She neither blush'd nor shook, but deathly-pale 
Stood grasping what was nearest, then replied : 960 
"Of all this will I nothing;'' and so fell. 
And thus they bore her swooning to her tower. 

Then spake, to whom thro' those black walls of yew 
Their talk had pierced, her father: "Ay, a flash, 
I fear me, that will strike my blossom dead. 
Too courteous are ye, fair Lord Lancelot. 
I pray you, use some rough discourtesy 
To blunt or break her passion." 

Lancelot said, 
"That were against me: what I can I will;" 
And there that day remain'd, and toward even 970 
Sent for his shield : full meekly rose the maid, 
Stript off the case, and gave the naked shield; 
Then, when she heard his horse upon the stones, 
.Unclasping flung the casement back, and look'd 
Down on his helm, from which her sleeve had gone. 
And Lancelot knew the little clinking sound ; 
And she by tact of love was well aware 
That Lancelot knew that she was looking at him. 
And yet he glanced not up, nor waved his hand, 
Nor bade farewell, but sadly rode away. 980 

This was the one discourtesy that he used. 

So in her tower alone the maiden sat : 
His very shield was gone ; only the case, 
Her own poor work, her empty labour, left. 



148 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

But still she heard him, still his picture form'd 
And grew between her and the pictured wall. 
Then came her father, saying in low tones, 
" Have comfort/' whom she greeted quietly. 
Then came her brethren saying, '' Peace to thee, 
Sweet sister/' whom she answer'd with all calm. 990 
But when they left her to herself again, 
Death, like a friend's voice from a distant field 
Approaching thro' the darkness, call'd ; the owls 
Wailing had power upon her, and she mixt 
Her fancies with the sallow-rifted glooms 
Of evening, and the moanings of the wind. 

And in those days she made a little song. 
And call'd her song " The Song of Love and Death," 
And sang it : sweetly could she make and sing. 

" Sweet is true love tho' given in vain, in vain ; 1000 
And sweet is death who puts an end to pain : 
I know not which is sweeter, no, not I. 

'' Love, art thou sweet ? then bitter death must be : 
Love, thou art bitter; sweet is death to me. 

Love, if death be sweeter, let me die. 

" Sweet love, that seems not made to fade away, 
Sweet death, that seems to make us loveless clay, 

1 know not which is sweeter, no, not I. 

" I fain would follow love, if that could be ; 
I needs must follow death, who calls for me; loio 

Call and I follow, I follow ! let me die/' 



LANCELOT AND ELAINE 149 

High with the last hne scaled her voice, and this, 
All in a fiery dawning wild with wind 
That shook her tower, the brothers heard, and thought 
With shuddering, "Hark the Phantom of the house 
That ever shrieks before a death/' and call'd 
The father, and all three in hurry and fear 
Ran to her, and lo ! the blood-red light of dawn 
Flared on her face, she shrilling, "Let me die !" 

As when we dwell upon a word we know, 1020 

Repeating, till the word we know so well 
Becomes a wonder, and we know not why, 
So dwelt the father on her face, and thought 
"Is this Elaine ?'' till back the maiden fell, 
Then gave a languid hand to each, and lay, 
Speaking a still good-morrow with her eyes. 
At last she said, "Sweet brothers, yesternight 
I seem'd a curious little maid again. 
As happy as when we dwelt among the woods. 
And when ye used to take me with the flood 1030 

Up the great river in the boatman's boat. 
Only ye would not pass beyond the cape 
That has the poplar on it : there ye fixt 
Your limit, oft returning with the tide. 
And yet I cried because ye would not pass 
Beyond it, and far up the shining flood 
Until we found the palace of the King. 
And yet ye would not ; but this night I dream'd 
That I was all alone upon the flood. 
And then I said, ' Now shall I have my will : ' 1040 



150 - LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

And there I woke, but still the wish remain'd. 

So let me hence that I may pass at last 

Be3^ond the poplar and far up the flood, 

Until I find the palace of the King. 

There will I enter in among them all, 

And no man there will dare to mock at me ; 

But there the fine Gawain will wonder at me. 

And there the great Sir Lancelot muse at me; 

Gawain, who bade a thousand farewells to me, 

Lancelot, who coldly went, nor bade me one : 1050 

And there the King will know me and my love, 

And there the Queen herself will pity me. 

And all the gentle court will welcome me. 

And after my long voyage I shall rest !'' 

"Peace," said her father, "O my child, ye seem 
Light-headed, for what force is yours to go 
So far, being sick ? and wherefore would ye look 
On this proud fellow again, who scorns us all?" 

Then the rough Torre began to heave and move. 
And bluster into stormy sobs and say, 1060 

" I never loved him : an I meet with him, 
I care not howsoever great he be. 
Then will I strike at him and strike him down, 
Give me good fortune, I will strike him dead, 
For this discomfort he hath done the house." 

To whom the gentle sister made reply, 
" Fret not yourself, dear brother, nor be wroth. 
Seeing it is no more Sir Lancelot's fault 



LANCELOT AND ELAINE 151 

Not to love me, than it is mine to love 

Him of all men who seems to me the highest." 1070 

"Highest?" the father answer'd, echoing "high- 
est?" 
(He meant to break the passion in her) " nay, 
Daughter, I know not what you call the highest; 
But this I know, for all the people know it. 
He loves the Queen, and in an open shame: 
And she returns his love in open shame; 
If this be high, what is it to be low?" 

Then spake the lily maid of Astolat : 
" Sweet father, all too faint and sick am I 
For anger : these are slanders : never yet 1080 

Was noble man but made ignoble talk. 
He makes no friend who never made a foe. 
But now it is my glory to have loved 
One peerless, without stain : so let me pass, 
My father, howsoe'er I seem to you. 
Not all unhappy, having loved God's best 
And greatest, tho' my love had no return : 
Yet, seeing you desire your child to live, 
Thanks, but you work against your own desire; 
For if I could believe the things you say 1090 

I should but die the sooner; wherefore cease, 
Sweet father, and bid call the ghostly man 
Hither, and let me shrive me. clean, and die." 

So when the ghostly man had come and gone, 
She with a face, bright as for sin forgiven, 



152 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

Besought Lavaine to write as she devised 

A letter, word for word ; and when he ask'd 

" Is it for Lancelot, is it for my dear lord ? 

Then will I bear it gladly;" she replied, 

'' For Lancelot and the Queen and all the world, uoo 

But I myself must bear it." Then he wrote 

The letter she devised ; which being writ 

And folded, " O sweet father, tender and true, 

Deny me not," she said — " ye never yet 

Denied my fancies — this, however strange, 

My latest : lay the letter in my hand 

A little ere I die, and close the hand 

Upon it ; I shall guard it even in death. 

And when the heat is gone from out my heart. 

Then take the little bed on which I died mo 

For Lancelot's love, and deck it like the Queen's 

For richness, and me also like the Queen 

In all I have of rich, and lay me on it. 

And let there be prepared a chariot-bier 

To take me to the river, and a barge 

Be ready on the river, clothed in black. 

I go in state to court, to meet the Queen. 

There surely I shall speak for mine own self, 

And none of you can speak for me so well. 

And therefore let our dumb old man alone 112c 

Go with me, he can steer and row, and he 

Will guide me to that palace, to the doors." 

She ceased : her father promised ; whereupon 
She grew so cheerful that they deem'd her death 
Was rather in the fantasy than the blood. 



LANCELOT AND ELAINE: 153 

But ten slow mornings past, and on the eleventh 
Her father laid the letter in her hand, 
And closed the hand upon it, and she died. 
So that day there was dole in Astolat. 

But when the next sun brake from underground, 1130) 
Then, those two brethren slowly with bent brows 
Accompanying, the sad chariot-bier 
Past like a shadow thro' the field, that shone 
Full-summer, to that stream whereon the barge, 
Pall'd all its length in blackest samite, lay. 
There sat the lifelong creature of the house, 
Loyal, the dumb old servitor, on deck, 
Winking his eyes, and twisted all his face. 
So those two brethren from the chariot took 
And on the black decks laid her in her bed, 1140 

Set in her hand a lily, o'er her hung 
The silken case with braided blazonings. 
And kiss'd her quiet brows, and saying to her 
" Sister, farewell for ever," and again 
''Farewell, sweet sister," parted all in tears. 
Then rose the dumb old servitor, and the dead, 
Oar'd by the dumb, went upward with the flood — 
In her right hand the lily, in her left 
The letter — all her bright hair streaming down — 
And all the coverlid was cloth of gold 1150 

Drawn to her waist^ and she herself in white 
All but her face, and that clear-featured face 
Was lovely, for she did not seem as dead. 
But fast asleep, and lay as tho' she smiled. 



154 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

That day Sir Lancelot at the palace craved 
Audience of Guinevere, to give at last 
The price of half a realm, his costly gift, 
Hard-won and hardly won with bruise and blow. 
With deaths of others, and almost his own. 
The nine-years-fought-for diamonds : for he saw 1160 
One of her house, and sent him to the Queen 
Bearing his wish, whereto the Queen agreed 
With such and so unmoved a majesty 
She might have seem'd her statue, but that he, 
Low-drooping till he wellnigh kiss'd her feet 
For loyal awe, saw with a sidelong eye 
The shadow of some piece of pointed lace. 
In the Queen's shadow, vibrate on the walls, 
And parted, laughing in his courtly heart. 

All in an oriel on the summer side, 1170 

Vine-clad, of Arthur's palace toward the stream, 
They met, and Lancelot kneeling utter'd, "Queen, 
Lady, my liege, in whom I have my joy. 
Take, what I had not won except for you. 
These jewels, and make me happy, making them 
An armlet for the roundest arm on earth. 
Or necklace for a neck to whic^^ the swan's 
Is tawnier than her cygnet's : these are words : 
Your beauty is your beauty, and I sin 
In speaking, yet O grant my worship of it 1180 

Words, as we grant grief tears. Such sin in words 
Perchance, we both can pardon : but, my Queen, 
I hear of rumours flying thro' your court. 



LANCELOT AND ELAINE 155 

Our bond, as not the bond of man and wife, 
Should have in it an absoluter trust 
To make up that defect : let rumours be : 
When did not rumours fly ? these, as I trust 
That you trust me in your own nobleness, 
I may not well beheve that you believe." 

While thus he spoke, half turned away, the Queen 1190 
Brake from the vast oriel-embowering \dne 
Leaf after leaf, and tore, and cast them off, 
Till all the place whereon she stood was green ; 
Then, when he ceased, in one cold passive hand 
Received at once and laid aside the gems 
There on a table near her, and replied : 

" It may be, I am quicker of behef 
Than you believe me, Lancelot of the Lake. 
Our bond is not the bond of man and wife. 
This good is in it, whatsoe'er of ill, 1200 

It can be broken easier. I for you 
This many a year have done despite and wrong 
To one whom ever in my heart of hearts 
I did acknowledge nobler. What are these ? 
Diamonds for me ! they had been thrice their worth 
Being your gift, had you not lost your own. 
To loyal hearts the value of all gifts 
Must vary as the giver's. Not for me ! 
For her ! for your new fancy. Only this 
Grant me, I pray you : have your joys apart. 1210 
I doubt not that however changed, you keep 



156 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

So much of what is graceful : and myself 

Would shun to break those bounds of courtesy 

In which as Arthur's Queen I move and rule : 

So cannot speak my mind. An end to this ! 

A strange one ! yet I take it with Amen. 

So pray you, add my diamonds to her pearls; 

Deck her with these ; tell her, she shines me down : 

An armlet for an arm to which the Queen's 

Is haggard, or a necklace for a neck 122c 

O as much fairer — as a faith once fair 

Was richer than these diamonds — hers not mine — 

Nay, by the mother of our Lord himself. 

Or hers or mine, mine now to work my will — 

She shall not have them." 

Saying which she seized^ 
And, thro' the casement standing wide for heat, 
Flung them, and down they flash'd, and smote the 

stream. 
Then from the smitten surface flash'd, as it w^ere, 
Diamonds to meet them, and they past away. 
Then while Sir Lancelot leant, in half disdain 1230 
At love, life, all things, on the window ledge, 
Close underneath his eyes, and right across 
Where these had fallen, slowly past the barge 
Whereon the lily maid of Astolat 
Lay smiling, like a star in blackest night. 

But the wild Queen, who saw not, burst away 
To weep and wail in secret ; and the barge. 



LANCELOT AND ELAINE loT 

On to the palace-doorway sliding, paused. 

There two stood arm'd, and kept the door ; to whom, 

All up the marble stair, tier over tier, 1240 

Were added mouths that gaped, and eyes that ask'd 

" What is it ? " but that oarsman's haggard face. 

As hard and still as is the face that men 

Shape to their fancy's eye from broken rocks 

On some cliff-side, appall'd them, and they said, 

"^ He is enchanted, cannot speak — and she, 

Look how she sleeps — the Fairy Queen, so fair ! 

Yea, but how pale ! what are they ? flesh and blood ? 

Or come to take the King to Fairyland ? 

For some do hold our Arthur cannot die, 1250 

But that he passes into Fairyland." 

While thus they babbled of the King, the King 
Came girt with knights : then turn'd the tongueless man 
From the half-face to the full eye, and rose 
And pointed to the damsel, and the doors. 
So Arthur bade the meek Sir Percivale 
And pure Sir Galahad to uplift the maid ; 
And reverently they bore her into hall. 
Then came the fine Gawain and wonder'd at her, 
And Lancelot later came and mused at her, 1260 

And last the Queen herself, and pitied her : 
But Arthur spied the letter in her hand, 
Stoopt, took, brake seal, and read it ; this was all : 

" Most noble lord. Sir Lancelot of the Lake, 
I, sometime call'd the maid of Astolat, 



158 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

Come, for you left me taking no farewell, 

Hither, to take my last farewell of you. 

I loved you, and my love had no return. 

And therefore my true love has been my death. 

And therefore to our Lady Guinevere, 1270 

And to all other ladies, I make moan: 

Pray for my soul, and yield me burial. 

Pray for my soul thou too, Sir Lancelot, 

As thou art a knight peerless.'' 

Thus he read; 
And ever in the reading, lords and dames 
Wept, looking often from his face who read 
To hers w^iich lay so silent, and at times, 
So touch'd were they, half-thinking that her lips, 
Who had devised the letter, moved again. 

Then freely spoke Sir Lancelot to them all : 1280 
" My lord liege Arthur, and all ye that hear. 
Know that for this most gentle maiden's death 
Right heavy am I ; for good she was and true, 
But loved me with a love beyond all love 
In women, whomsoever I have known. 
Yet to be loved makes not to love again; 
Not at my years, however it hold in youth. 
I swear by truth and knighthood that I gave 
No cause, not willingly, for such a love : 
To this I call my friends in testimony, 1290 

Her brethren, and her father, who himself 
Besought me to be plain and blunt, and use. 



LANCELOT AND ELAINE 159 

To break her passion, some discourtesy 

Against my nature : what I could, I did. 

I left her and I bade her no farewell ; 

Tho', had I dreamt the damsel would have died, 

I might have put my wits to some rough use. 

And help'd her from herself." 

Then said the Queen 
(Sea was her wrath, yet working after storm) 
" Ye might at least have done her so much grace, 1300 
Fair lord, as would have help'd her from her death." 
He raised his head, their eyes met and hers fell, 
He adding, 

" Queen, she would not be content 
Save that I wedded her, which could not be. 
Then might she follow me thro' the world, she ask'd; 
It could not be. I told her that her love 
Was but the flash of youth, would darken down 
To rise hereafter in a stiller flame 
Toward one more worthy of her — then would I, 
More specially were he, she wedded, poor, 1310 

Estate them with large land and territory 
In mine own realm beyond the narrow seas. 
To keep them in all joyance : more than this 
I could not; this she would not, and she died." 
% 
He pausing, Arthur answer'd, " O my knight, 
It will be to thy worship, as my knight. 
And mine, as head of all our Table Round, 
To see that she be buried worshipfully." 



160 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

So toward that shrine which then in all the realm 
Was richest, Arthur leadings slowly went 1320 

The marshall'd Order of their Table Round, 
And Lancelot sad beyond his wont, to see 
The maiden buried, not as one unknown, 
Nor meanly, but with gorgeous obsequies, 
And mass, and rolling nuisic, like a queen. 
And when the knights had laid her comely head 
Low in the dust of half-forgotten kings. 
Then Arthur spake among them, " Let her tomb 
Be costly, and her image thereupon. 
And let the shield of Lancelot at her feet 1330 

Be carven, and her lily in her hand. 
And let the story of her dolorous voyage 
For all true hearts be blazon'd on her tomb 
In letters gold and azure \" which was wrought 
Thereafter; but when now the lords and dames 
And people, from the high door streaming, brake: 
Disorderly, as homeward each, the Queen, 
Who mark'd Sir Lancelot where he moved apart,, 
Drew near, and sigh'd in passing, " Lancelot, 
Forgive me; .mine was jealousy in love." 1540 

He answer 'd with his eyes upon the ground, 
"That is love's curse; pass on, my Queen, forgiven." 
But Arthur, who beheld his cloudy brows, 
Approach'd him, and with full affection sakl, 

" Lancelot, my Lancelot, thou in whom I have 
Most joy and most affiance, for I know 
What thou hast been in battle by my side, 



LANCELOT AND ELAINE 161 

And many a time have watch'd thee at the tilt 

Strike down the lusty and long-practised knight, 

And let the younger and unskilled go by 1350 

To win his honour and to make his name, 

And loved thy courtesies and thee, a man 

Made to be loved; but now I would to God, 

Seeing the homeless trouble in thine eyes. 

Thou couldst have loved this maiden, shaped, it seems, 

By God for thee alone, and from her face, 

If one may judge the living by the dead. 

Delicately pure and marvellously fair. 

Who might have brought thee, now a lonely man 

Wifeless and heirless, noble issue, sons 1360 

Born to the glory of thy name and fame. 

My knight, the great Sir Lancelot of the Lake." 

Then answer'd Lancelot, " Fair she was, my King, 
Pure, as you ever wish your knights to be. 
To doubt her fairness were to want an eye. 
To doubt her pureness were to want a heart — 
Yea, to be loved, if what is worthy love 
Could bind him, but free love will not be bound.'' 

"Free love, so bound, were freest," said the King. 
*" Let love be free ; free love is for the best : 1370 

And, after heaven, on our dull side of death. 
What should be best, if not so pure a love 
Clothed in so pure a loveliness? yet thee 
She faird to bind, tho' being, as I think. 
Unbound as yet, and gentle, as I know." 



162 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

And Lancelot answer'd nothing, but he went, 
And at the inrunning of a httle brook 
Sat by the river in a cove, and watch'd 
The high reed wave, and hfted up his eyes 
And saw tlie barge that brought her moving down, 1380 
Far-off, a blot upon the stream, and said 
Low in himself, " Ah simple heart and sweet. 
Ye loved me, damsel, surely with a love 
Far tenderer than my Queen's. Pray for thy soul ? 
Ay, that will I. Farewell too — now at last — 
Farewell, fair hly. 'Jealousy in love?' 
Not rather dead love's harsh heir, jealous pride ? 
Queen, if I grant the jealousy as of love. 
May not your crescent fear for name and fame 
Speak, as it waxes, of a love that wanes? 1390 

Why did the King dwell on my name to me ? 
Mine own name shames me, seeming a reproach, 
Lancelot, whom the Lady of the Lake 
Caught from his mother's arms — the wondrous one 
Who passes thro' the vision of the night — 
She chanted snatches of mysterious hymns 
Heard on the winding waters, eve and morn 
She kiss'd me saying, ' Thou art fair, my child, 
As a king's son,' and often in her arms 
She bare me, pacing on the dusky mere. 1400 

Would she had drown'd me in it, where'er it be ! 
For what am I ? what profits me my name 
Of greatest knight ? I fought for it, and have it ; 
Pleasure to have it, none; to lose it, pain; 
Now grown a part of me : but what use in it ? 



LANCELOT AND ELAINE 163 

To make men worse by making my sin known ? 

Or sin seem less, the sinner seeming great? 

Alas for Arthur's greatest knight, a man 

Not after Arthur's heart ! I needs must break 

These bonds that so defame me : not without 1410 

She wills it : would I, if she will'd it ? nay, 

Who knows ? but if I would not, then may God, 

I pray him, send a sudden Angel down 

To seize me by the hair and bear me far, 

And fling me deep in that forgotten mere, 

Among the tumbled fragments of the hills." 

So groan'd Sir Lancelot in remorseful pain, 
Not knowing he should die a holy man. 



THE PASSING OF ARTHUR 



THE PASSING OF ARTHUR 

That story which the bold Sir Bedivere, 
First made and latest left of all the knights, 
Told, when the man was no more than a voice 
In the white winter of his age, to those 
With whom he dwelt, new faces, other minds. 

For on their march to westward, Bedivere, 
Who slowly paced among the slumbering host, 
Heard in his tent the moanings of the King : 

" I found Him in the shining of the stars, 
I mark'd Him in the flowering of His fields, 
But in His ways with men I find Him not. 
I waged His wars, and now I pass and die. 
O me ! for why is all around us here 
As if some lesser god had made the world. 
But had not force to shape it as he would. 
Till the High God behold it from beyond, 
And enter it, and make it beautiful ? 
Or else as if the world were wholly fair, 
But that these eyes of men are dense and dim. 
And have not power to see it as it is : 
Perchance, because we see not to the close ; — 

167 



168 THE PASSING OF ARTHUR 

For I, being simple, thought to work His will, 
And have but stricken with the sword in vain ; 
And all whereon I lean'd in wife and friend 
Is traitor to my peace, and all my realm 
Reels back into the beast, and is no more. 
My God, thou hast forgotten me in my death: 
Nay — God my Christ — I pass but shall not die." 

Then, ere that last weird battle in the west, 
There came on Arthur sleeping, Gawain kill'd 30 

In Lancelot's war, the ghost of Gawain blown 
Along a wandering wind, and past his ear 
Went shrilling, " Hollow, hollow all delight ! 
Hail, King ! to-morrow thou shalt pass away. 
Farewell f there is an isle of rest for thee. 
And I am blown along a wandering wind,. 
And hollow, hollow, hollow all delight." 
And fainter onward, like wild birds that change 
Their season in the night and wail their way 
From cloud to cloud, down the long wind the dream 40 
Shriird ; but in going mingled with dim cries 
Far in the moonlit haze among the hills, 
As of some lonely city sack'd by night, 
When all is lost, and wife and child with wail 
Pass to new lords; and Arthur woke and call'd, 
"Who spake? A dream. O light upon the wind, 
Thine, Gawain, was the voice — are these dim 

cries 
Thine ? or doth all that haunts the waste and wild 
Mourn, knowing it will go along with me?" 



THE PASSING OF ARTHUR 169 

This "heard the bold Sir Bedivere and spake : 50 
" O me, my King, let pass whatever will, 
Elves and the harmless glamour of the field ; 
But in their stead thy name and glory cling 
To all high places like a golden cloud 
For ever : but as yet thou shalt not pass. 
Light was Gawain in life, and light in death 
Is Gawain, for the ghost is as the man; 
And care not thou for dreams from him, but rise — 
I hear the steps of Modred in the west. 
And with him many of thy people, and knights 60 
Once thine, w^hom thou hast loved, but grosser grown 
Than heathen, spitting at their vows and thee. 
Right well in heart they know thee for the King. 
Arise, go forth and conquer as of old." 

Then spake King Arthur to Sir Bedivere : 
" Far other is this battle in the west 
Whereto we move, than when we strove in youth, 
And brake the petty kings, and fought with Rome, 
Or thrust the heathen from the Roman wall. 
And shook him thro' the north. Ill doom is mine 70 
To war against my people and my knights. 
The king who fights his people fights himself. 
And they my knights, who loved me once, the stroke 
That strikes them dead is as my death to me. 
Yet let us hence, and find or feel a way 
Thro' this blind haze, which ever since I saw 
One lying in the dust at Almesbury, 
Hath folded in the passes of the world," 



170 THE PASSING OF ARTHUR 

Then rose the King and moved his host by night, 
And ever push'd Sir Modred, league by league, 80 
Back to the sunset bound of Lyonnesse — 
A land of old upheaven from the abyss 
By fire, to sink into the abyss again; 
Where fragments of forgotten peoples dwelt. 
And the long mountains ended in a coast 
Of ever-shifting sand, and far away 
The phantom circle of a moaning sea. 
There the pursuer could pursue no more, 
And he that fled no further fly the King; 
And there, that day when the great light of heaven 90 
Burn'd at his lowest in the rolling year. 
On the waste sand by the waste sea they closed. 
Nor ever yet had Arthur fought a fight 
Like this last, dim, weird battle of the west. 
A deathwhite mist slept over sand and sea : 
Whereof the chill, to him who breathed it, drew 
Down with his blood, till all his heart was cold 
With formless fear; and ev'n on Arthur fell 
Confusion, since he saw not whom he fought. 
For friend and foe were shadows in the mist, 100 

And friend slew friend not knowing whom he 

slew ; 
And some had visions out of golden youth, 
And some beheld the faces of old ghosts 
Look in upon the battle ; and in the mist 
Was many a noble deed, many a base, 
And chance and craft and strength in single fights, 
And ever and anon with host to host 



THE PASSING OF ARTHUR 111 

Shocks, and the sphntering spear, the hard mail hewn, 
Shield-breakings, and the clash of brands, the crash 
Of battleaxes on shattered helms, and shrieks no 

After the Christ, of those who falling down 
Look'd up for heaven, and only saw the mist; 
And shouts of heathen and the traitor knights, 
Oaths, insult, filth, and monstrous blasphemies, 
Sweat, writhings, anguish, labouring of the lungs 
In that close mist, and crA^ngs for the light, 
Moans of the dying, and voices of the dead. 

Last, as by some one deathbed after wail 
Of suffering, silence follows, or thro' death 
Or deathlike swoon, thus over all that shore, 120 

Save for some whisper of the seething seas, 
A dead hush fell ; but when the dolorous day 
Grew drearier toward twilight falling, came 
A bitter wind, clear from the North, and blew 
The mist aside, and with that wind the tide 
Rose, and the pale King glanced across the field 
Of battle : but no man was moving there ; 
Nor any cry of Christian heard thereon. 
Nor yet of heathen ; only the wan wave 
Brake in among dead faces, to and fro 130 

Swaying the helpless hands, and up and down 
Tumbling the hollow helmets of the fallen, 
And shiver'd brands that once had fought with 

Rome, 
And rolling far along the gloomj^ shores 
The voice of days of old and days to be. 



172 THE PASSING OF AkTHUR 

Then spake King Arthur to Sir Bedivere^ 
And whiter than the mist that all day long 
Had held the field of battle was the King : 

"Hearest thou this great voice that shakes the 
world, 
And wastes the narrow realm whereon we move, 140 
And beats upon the faces of the dead, 
My dead, as tho' they had not died for me? — 
O Bedivere, for on m}^ heart hath falFn 
Confusion, till I know not what I am. 
Nor whence I am, nor whether I be King. 
Behold, I seem but King among the dead." 

Then spake the bold Sir Bedivere : " My King, 
King everywhere ! and so the dead have kings, 
There also will I worship thee as King. 
Yet still thy life is whole, and still I live 150 

Who love thee; but who hates thee, he that brought 
The heathen back among us, yonder stands, 
Modred, unharm'd, the traitor of thine house." 

Then spake the King : " My house hath been my 
doom. 
But call not thou this traitor of my house 
Who hath but dwelt beneath one roof with me. 
My house are rather they who sware my vows. 
Yea, even while they brake them, own'd me King. 
And well for thee, saying in my dark hour, 
When all the purport of my throne hath fail'd, 160 



THE PASSING OF ARTHUR 173 

That quick or dead thou holdest me for King. 
King am I, whatsoever be their cry; 
And one last act of kinghood shalt thou see 
Yet, ere I pass." And uttering this the King 
Made at the man : then Modred smote his hege 
Hard on that hehn which many a heathen sword 
Had beaten thin ; while Arthur at one blow, 
Striking the last stroke with Excalibur, 
Slew him, and all but slain himself, he fell. 

So all day long the noise of battle roll'd 170 

Among the mountains by the winter sea; 
Until King Arthur's Table, man by man. 
Had fall'n in Lyonnesse about their lord, 
King Arthur. Then, because his wound was deep. 
The bold Sir Bedivere uplifted him. 
And bore him to a chapel nigh the field, 
A broken chancel with a broken cross. 
That stood on a dark strait of barren land : 
On one side lay the Ocean, and on one 
Lay a great water, and the moon was full. 180 

Then spake King Arthur to Sir Bedivere : 
" The sequel of to-day unsolders all 
The goodliest fellowship of famous knights 
Whereof this world holds record. Such a sleep 
They sleep — the men I loved. I think that we 
Shall never more, at any future time. 
Delight our souls with talk of knightly deeds, 
Walking about the gardens and the halls 



174 THE PASSING OF ARTHUR 

Of Camelot; as in the days that were. 

I perish by this people which I made, — 190 

Tho' MerUn sware that I should come again 

To rule once more ; but, let what will be, be, 

I am so deeply smitten thro' the helm 

That without help I cannot last till morn. 

Thou therefore take my brand Excalibur, 

Which was my pride : for thou rememberest how 

In those old days, one summer noon, an arm 

Rose up from out the bosom of the lake, 

Clothed in white samite, mystic, wonderful. 

Holding the sword — and how I row'd across 200 

And took it, and have worn it, like a king; 

And, wheresoever I am sung or told 

In aftertime, this also shall be known: 

But now delay not : take Excalibur, 

And fling him far into the middle mere : 

Watch what thou seest, and lightly bring me word." 

To him replied the bold Sir Bedivere : 
" It is not meet. Sir King, to leave thee thus. 
Aidless, alone, and smitten thro' the helm — 
A little thing may harm a wounded man; 210 

Yet I thy hest will all perform at full. 
Watch what I see, and lightly bring thee word." 

So saying, from the ruin'd shrine he stept. 
And in the moon athwart the place of tombs. 
Where lay the mighty bones of ancient men. 
Old knights, and over them the sea-wind sang 



THE PASSING OF ARTHUR 175 

Shrill, chill, with flakes of foam. He, stepping down 
By zigzag paths, and juts of pointed rock. 
Came on the shining levels of the lake. 

There drew he forth the brand Excalibur, 220 

And o'er him, drawing it, the winter moon. 
Brightening the skirts of a long cloud, ran forth 
And sparkled keen with frost against the hilt : 
For all the haft twinkled with diamond sparks, 
Myriads of topaz-lights, and jacinth- work 
Of subtlest jewellery. He gazed so long 
That both his eyes were dazzled as he stood, 
This way and that dividing the swift mind. 
In act to throw : but at the last it seem'd 
Better to leave Excalibur conceal'd 230 

There in the many-knotted waterflags, 
That whistled stiff and dry about the marge. 
So strode he back slow to the wounded King. 

Then spake King Arthur to Sir Bedivere : 
" Hast thou performed my mission which I gave ? 
What is it thou hast seen? or what hast heard?'' 

And answer made the bold Sir Bedivere: 
" I heard the ripple washing in the reeds. 
And the wild water lapping on the crag." 

To whom replied King Arthur, faint and pale : 240 
"Thou hast betray'd thy nature and thy name, 
Not rendering true answer, as beseem'd 



176 THE PASSING OF ARTHUR 

Thy fealty, nor like a noble knight : 

For surer sign had followed, either hand, 

Or voice, or else a motion of the mere. 

This is a shameful thing for men to lie. 

Yet now, I charge thee, quickly go again, 

As thou art lief and dear, and do the thing 

I bade thee, watch, and lightly bring me word.'' 

Then went Sir Bedivere the second time 250 

Across the ridge, and paced beside the mere. 
Counting the dewy pebbles, fix'd in thought; 
But when he saw the wonder of the hilt. 
How curiously and strangely chased, he smote 
His palms together, and he cried aloud : 

" And if indeed I cast the brand away, 
Surely a precious thing, one worthy note, 
Should thus be lost for ever from the earth. 
Which might have pleased the eyes of many men. 
What good should follow this, if this were done ? 260 
What harm, undone ? Deep harm to disobey, 
Seeing obedience is the bond of rule. 
Were it well to obey then, if a king demand 
An act unprofitable, against himself? 
The King is sick, and knows not what he does. 
Wfiat record, or what relic of my lord 
Should be to aftertime, but empty breath 
And rumours of a doubt ? But were this kept. 
Stored in some treasure-house of mighty kings, 
Some one might show it at a joust of arms, 270 



THE PASSING OF ARTHUR 177 

Saying, ' King Arthur's sword, Excalibur, 

Wrought by the lonely maiden of the Lake. 

Nine years she wrought it, sitting in the deeps 

Upon the hidden bases of the hills.' 

So might some old man speak in the aftertime 

To all the people, winning reverence. 

But now much honour and much fame were lost." 

So spake he, clouded with his own conceit. 
And hid Excalibur the second time. 
And so strode back slow to the wounded King. 280 

Then spoke King Arthur, breathing heavily : 
"What is it thou hast seen? or what hast heard?" 

And answer made the bold Sir Bedivere : 
" I heard the water lapping on the crag. 
And the long ripple washing in the reeds." 

To whom replied King Arthur, much in wrath : 
" Ah, miserable and unkind, untrue, 
Unknightly, traitor-hearted ! Woe is me ! 
Authority forgets a dying king, 

Laid widow'd of the power in his eye 290 

That bow'd the will. I see thee what thou art, 
For thou, the latest-left of all my knights. 
In whom should meet the offices of all. 
Thou wouldst betray me for the precious hilt; 
Either from lust of gold, or like a girl 
Valuing the giddy pleasure of the eyes. 
Yet; for a man may fail in duty twice, 



178 THE PASSING OF ARTHUR 

And the third time may prosper, get thee hence: 

But, if thou spare to fling ExcaUbur, 

I will arise and slay thee with my hands." 300 

Then quickly rose Sir Bedivere, and ran, 
And, leaping down the ridges lightly, plunged 
Among the bulrush beds, and clutch'd the sword. 
And strongly wheel'd and threw it. The great brand 
Made lightnings in the splendour of the moon. 
And flashing round and round, and whirl'd in an arch, 
Shot like a streamer of the northern morn, 
Seen where the moving isles of winter shock 
By night, with noises of the Northern Sea. 
So flash'd and fell the brand Excalibur : 310 

But ere he dipt the surface, rose an arm 
Clothed in white samite, mystic, wonderful. 
And caught him by the hilt, and brandish'd him 
Three times, and drew him under in the mere. 
And lightly went the other to the King. 

Then spoke King Arthur, drawing thicker breath : 
" Now see I by thine eyes that this is done. 
Speak out: what is it thou hast heard, or seen?'' 

And answer made the bold Sir Bedivere : 
" Sir King, I closed mine eyelids, lest the gems 320 
Should blind my purpose, for I never saw, 
Nor shall see, here or elsewhere, till I die, 
Not tho' I live three lives of mortal men, 
So great a miracle as yonder hilt. 



THE PASSING OF ARTHUR 179 

Then with both hands I flung him, wheehng him ; 
But when I look'd again, behold an arm. 
Clothed in white samite, mystic, wonderful. 
That caught him by the hilt, and brandish'd him 
Three times, and drew him under in the mere/' 

And answer made King Arthur, breathing hard : 33c 
"My end draws nigh; 'tis time that I were gone. 
Make broad thy shoulders to receive my weight, 
And bear me to the margin ; yet I fear 
My wound hath taken cold, and I shall die." 

So saying, from the pavement he half rose. 
Slowly, with pain, reclining on his arm. 
And looking wistfully with wide blue eyes 
As in a picture. Him Sir Bedivere 
Remorsefully regarded thro' his tears, 
And would have spoken, but he found not words; .340 
Then took with care, and kneeling on one knee. 
O'er both his shoulders drew the languid hands, 
And rising bore him thro' the place of tombs. 

But, as he walk'd, King Arthur panted hard, 
Like one that feels a nightmare on his bed 
When all the house is mute. So sigh'd the King, 
Muttering and murmuring at his ear, " Quick, quick ! 
I fear it is too late, and I shall die." 
But the other swiftly strode from ridge to ridge, 
Clothed with his breath, and looking, as he walk'd, 350 
Larger than human on the frozen hills. 



180 THE PASSING OF ARTHUR 

He heard the deep behind him, and a cry 

Before. His own thought drove him Uke a goad. 

Dry clash'd his harness in the icy caves 

And barren chasms, and all to left and right 

The bare black cliff clang'd round him, as he based 

His feet on juts of slippery crag that rang 

Sharp-smitten with the dint of armed heels — 

And on a sudden, lo ! the level lake, 

And the long glories of the winter moon. 360 

Then saw they how there hove a dusky barge, 
Dark as a funeral scarf from stem to stern. 
Beneath them; and descending they were ware 
That all the decks were dense with stately forms, 
Black-stoled, black-hooded, like a dream — by these 
Three Queens with crowns of gold: and from them 

rose 
A cry that shiver'd to the tingling stars, 
And, as it were one voice, an agony 
Of lamentation, like a wind that shrills 
All night in a waste land, where no one comes, 370 
Or hath come, since the making of the world. 

Then murmur'd Arthur, "Place me in the barge." 
So to the barge they came. There those three Queens 
Put forth their hands, and took the King, and wept. 
But she, that rose the tallest of them all 
And fairest, laid his head upon her lap, 
And loosed the shattered casque, and chafed his 
hands, 



THE PASSING OF ARTHUR 181 

And caird him by his name, complaining loud, 

And dropping bitter tears against a brow 

Striped with dark blood : for all his face was white 380 

And colourless, and like the withered moon 

Smote by the fresh beam of the springing east; 

And all his greaves and cuisses dash'd with drops 

Of onset ; and the light and lustrous curls — 

That made his forehead like a rising sun 

High from the dai's-throne — were parch'd with dust ; 

Or, clotted into points and hanging loose, 

Mix'd with the knightly growth that fringed his lips. 

So like a shattered column lay the King ; 

Not like that Arthur who, with lance in rest, 390 

From spur to plume a star of tournament, 

Shot thro' the lists at Camelot, and charged 

Before the eyes of ladies and of kings. 

Then loudly cried the bold Sir Bedivere : 
" Ah ! my Lord Arthur, whither shall I go ? 
Where shall I hide my forehead and my eyes ? 
For now I see the true old times are dead, 
When every morning brought a noble chance. 
And every chance brought out a noble knight. 
Such times have been not since the light that led 400 
The holy Elders with the gift of myrrh. 
But now the whole Round Table is dissolved 
Which was an image of the mighty world. 
And I, the last, go forth companionless, 
And the days darken round me, and the years. 
Among new men, strange faces, other minds." 



182 THE PASSING OF ARTHUR 

And slowly answer'd Arthur from the barge : 
"The old order change th, yielding place to new, 
And God fulfils himself in many ways, 
Lest one good custom should corrupt the world. 410 
Comfort thyself : what comfort is in me ? 
I have lived my life, and that which I have done 
May He within himself make pure ! but thou, 
If thou shouldst never see my face again, 
Pray for my soul. More things are wrought by prayer 
Than this world dreams of. Wherefore, let thy voice 
Rise like a fountain for me night and day. 
For what are men better than sheep or goats 
That nourish a blind life within the brain. 
If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer 420 
Both for themselves and those who call them friend ? 
For so the whole round earth is every way 
Bound by gold chains about the feet of God. 
But now farewell. I am going a long way 
With these thou seest — if indeed I go 
(For all my mind is clouded with a doubt) — 
To the island-valley of Avilion ; 
Where falls not hail, or rain, or any snow. 
Nor ever wind blows loudly ; but it lies 
Deep-meadow'd, happy, fair with orchard lawns 430 
And bowery hollows crown'd with summer sea. 
Where I will heal me of my grievous wound." 

So said he, and the barge with oar and sail 
Moved from the brink, like some full-breasted swan 
That, fluting a wild carol ere her death, 



THE PASSING OF ARTHUR 183 

Ruffles her pure cold plume, and takes the flood 
With swarthy webs. Long stood Sir Bedivere 
Revolving many memories, till the hull 
Look'd one black dot against the verge of dawn, 
And on the mere the wailing died away. ^c 

But when that moan had past for evermore, 
The stillness of the dead world's winter dawn 
Amazed him, and he groan'd, "The King is gone.'' 
And therewithal came on him the weird rhyme, 
"From the great deep to the great deep he goes." 

Whereat he slowly turn'd and slowly clomb 
The last hard footstep of that iron crag ; 
Thence mark'd the black hull moving yet, and 

cried, 
" He passes to be King among the dead. 
And after healing of his grievous wound 450 

He comes again ; but — if he come no more — 
O me, be yon dark Queens in yon black boat. 
Who shriek'd and wail'd, the three whereat we gazed 
On that high day, when, clothed with living light. 
They stood before his throne in silence, friends 
Of Arthur, who should help him at his need?" 

Then from the dawn it seem'd there came, but faint 
As from beyond the hmit of the world. 
Like the last echo born of a great cry. 
Sounds, as if some fair city were one voice 460 

Around a king returning from his wars. 



184 THE PASSING OF ARTHUR 

Thereat once more he moved about, and clomb 
Ev'n to the highest he could chmb, and saw, 
Straining his eyes beneath an arch of hand, 
Or thought he saw, the speck that bare the King, 
Down that long water opening on the deep 
Somewhere far off, pass on and on, and go 
From less to less and vanish into light. 
And the new sun rose bringing the new year. 



NOTES 



GARETH AND LYNETTE 

Tennyson derived this idyll from JVIalory's Le Morte Darthur, 
Book VII. For the first four hundred and thirty lines, however, 
there is no equivalent in Malory's romance. Tennyson may have 
taken some suggestions for this portion of the idyll from the tale 
of Peredur in the first volume of the Mabinogion. It is of interest 
to compare the Perceval romances and that of Sir Liheaus Disconus. 

1. Lot and Bellicent: King and Queen of Lothian and Ork- 
ney. Bellicent was Arthur's half sister, — 

" For ye know that iu King Uther's time 

The prince and warrior Gorlois, he that held 

Tintagil castle by the Cornish sea, 

Was wedded with a winsome wife, Tgerne: 

And daughters had she borne him, — one Avhereof, 

Lot's wife, the Queen of Orkney, Bellicent, 

Hath ever like a loyal sister cleaved 

• To Arthur." 

^^ Comm^ of A rfJmr : 184-191 . 

3. spate: the river in flood; a word Celtic in origin, used by 
Burns. 
18. yield: reward. So used by Shakespeare. 
21-25. For Arthur's 

will 
To cleanse tlie world 

see Guinevere, 450^80. Also Geraint and Enid, 930-^)43. 

25. Gawain: brother of Garetli and so, on the mother's side, 
reputed nephew of Arthur. See Introduction, pp. 31, 36, 3l>-40, for 

185 



186 GARETH AND LYNETTE 

the part played aud character borne by Gawain in the earlier Arthu- 
rian legend. See also Notes on Lancelot and Elaine, 553, 613, 635, 
640, 700, 707 : aud on The Passing of Arthur, 31-32. 

26. 3Iodrecl : another brother of Gareth and the reputed nephew 
of Arthur, though in Guinevere, 569-570, Arthur repudiates the 

relationship : — 

"the man they call 
My sister's son — no kin of mine." 

See Introduction, pp. 30-32, 34, for the part borne by Modred in 
the Arthurian legend. 

27. to tilt -with him, in play, with blunt lances. A serious tilt 
was quite another matter, as this, in Gottfried von Strassburg's 
Tristan and Iseult : — 

" With that they set spurs to their steeds, and with lance in rest 
rode straight at each other, and each smote the other so full on the 
shields that the spears splintered into a thousand pieces, and the 
knights drew forth their swords, and fought fiercely even as they 
were on horseback." — Weston's Translation, Vol. I. pp. 50-51. 

31. his thin lips. To this descriptive touch add the lines from 

Guinevere (62-03) : — 

" Modred's narrow foxy face, 
Heart-hiding smile, and gray persistent eye." 

37. An : if. So used below in 40, 50, 98, 252, etc. 
40. the goose and golden eggs. Cf. Tennyson's early poem, 
The Goose. • 

45-16. such a palm 

As glitters gilded in thy Book of Hours. 

The mediaeval Book of Hours was a manuscript book of prayers 
to be recited at fixed times in the day and night. These manu- 
scripts often had beautifully illuminated margins, on which palms 
and other sacred emblems were laid in gold-leaf and painted in 
colors. See for descriptions of illuminated manuscripts Aldrich's 
Friar Jerome's Beautiful Book and Keats's The Eve of St. Mark. 

51. leash : as many as may be led by one cord. In case of grey- 



NOTES 187 

hounds on a hunt, the number held together in a leash is usually 
three. 

66. the brand Excalibur : Arthur'*? sword , fitly called a brand, 
because it flashed like fire. Malory gives the following account 
(I. 25) of the way in which Arthur obtained his sword : — 

" And as they rode, Arthur said: ' I have no sword.' ' No force 
[matter],' said Merlin, 'hereby is a sword that shall be yours, an 
I may.' So they rode till they came to a lake, the which was a fair 
water and broad. And in the midst of the lake Arthur was ware 
of an arm clothed in white samite, that held a fair sword in that 
hand. ' Lo,' said Merlin, 'yonder is that sword that I spake of.' 
With that they saw a damosel going [walking] upon the lake. 
' What damosel is that ? ' said Arthur. ' That is the Lady of the 
Lake,' said Merlin, 'and within that lake is a rock, and therein is 
as fair a place as any on earth and richly beseen [adorned], and 
this damosel will come to you anon, and then speak ye fair to her 
that she will give you that sword.' Anon withal came the damosel 
unto Arthur and saluted him, and he her again. ' Damosel,' said 
Arthur, ' what sword is that that yonder the arm holdeth above the 
water ? I would it were mine, for I have no sword.' ' Sir Arthur 
king,' said the damosel, ' that sword is mine, and if ye will give 
me a gift when I ask it you, ye shall have it.' ' By my faith,' said 
Arthur, 'I will give you what gift ye will ask.' 'Well,' said the 
damosel, ' go ye into yonder barge, and row yourself to the sword, 
and take it and the scabbard with you, and I will ask my gift when 
I see my time.' 

"So Sir x\rthur and Merlin alit, and tied their horses to two 
trees, and so they went into the ship, and when they came to the 
sword that the hand held. Sir Arthur took it up by the handles and 
took it with him. And the arm and the hand went under the 
water." 

Cf. The Cominr/ of Arthur, 294-308, and see next Note. See also 
Introduction, pp. 29, 31, for references to Arthur's sword under the 
name of Caliburn. 

The name is said to mean Cut-steel, and so to express the pecul- 
iar property of ExcalilJur. The scabbard had the magic quality 
of keeping its wearer safe from wounds in battle. The heroes of 



188 G A BETH AND LYNETTE 

romance had names for their swords as commonly as they had 
names for their horses. Rohmd's sword was Durandal {dur en 
diable = hard as the devil) and had such marvellous keenness that 
it cut through the rocky range of the Pyrenees at one blow. Char- 
lemagne's sword was La Joyeuse, The Joyful. Sigurd's sword was 
The Wrath and, if there was talk of battle, it would listen in its 
scabbard and sing a war-song, and when Sigurd rode to a fight, it 
would cry aloud for eagerness. 

75-76. when traitor to the King 

He fought against him in the Barons' war : 

a war described by Malory (I. 8, 9) as follows: — 

" Then the king removed into Wales, and let cry [had proclaimed] 
a great feast, that it should be holden at Pentecost after the coro- 
nation of him at the city of Caerleon. Unto the feast came King 
Lot of Lothian and of Orkney with five hundred knights with him. 
. . . And King Arthur was glad of their coming, for he weened 
that all the kings and knights had come for great love and to have 
done him worship at his feast, wherefore the King made great joy, 
and sent the kings and knights great presents. But the kings 
would none receive, but rebuked the messengers shamefully, and 
said they had no joy to receive no gifts of a beardless boy that was 
come of low blood, and sent him word they would none of his gifts, 
but that they were come to give him gifts with hard swords betwixt 
the neck and the shoulders. . . . Wherefore, by the advice of his 
barons, he took him to a strong tower with five hundred good men 
with him. And all the kings aforesaid in a manner laid a siege 
afore him, but King Arthur was well victualled. 

** And within fifteen days there came Merlin among them into the 
city of Caerleon. Then all the kings were passing glad of Merlin, 
and asked him, ' For what cause is that boy Arthur made your 
king?' 'Sirs,' said ]\Ierlin, 'I shall tell you the cause, for he is 
King Uther-Pendragon's son. . . . And or he die he shall be long 
king of all England, and have under his obedience Wales, Ireland 
and Scotland, and more realms than I will now rehearse.' Some 
of the kinofs had marvel of Merlin's words and deemed well that it 



NOTES 189 

should be as he said. And some of them laughed him to scorn, as 
King Lot, and more other called him a witch. But then were they 
accorded with Merlin that King Arthur should come out and speak 
with the kings, and to come safe and to go safe, such assurance 
there was made. . . . 

" Then King Arthur came out of his tower, and had under his 
gown a jesserauut [light coat of armor] of double mail, and there 
were with him the Archbishop of Canterbury, and Sir Baudwin of 
Brittany, and Sir Kay, and Sir Brastias; these were the men of 
most worship that were with him. And when they were met there 
was no meekness, but stout words on both sides. ... ' What will 
ye do ? ' said Merlin to the kings. * Ye were better for to stint 
[you would better desist], for ye shall not here prevail though ye 
were ten times so many.' ' Be we well advised to be afeared of a 
dream-reader ? ' said King Lot. 

" With that Merlin vanished away, and came to King Arthur, 
and bade him set on fiercely. . . . ' Sir,' said Merlin to Arthur, 
* fight not with the sword ye had by miracle, till that ye see ye go 
unto the worse; then draw it out and do your best.' . . . Then 
King Lot brake out on the back side, and the king with the hundred 
knights, and King Carados, and set on Arthur fiercely behind him. 
With that Sir Arthur turned with his knights, and smote behind 
and before, and ever Sir Arthur was in the foremost press till his 
horse was slain underneath him. And therewith King Lot smote 
down King Arthur. With that his four knights received him and 
set him on horseback. Then he drew his sword Excalibur, but it 
was so bright in his enemies' eyes that it gave light like thirty 
torches. And therewith he put them back, and slew much people ; 
. . . but all the kings held them together with their knights that 
were left alive, and so fled and departed." Cf. Tlie Coming of 
Arthur, 62-133. 

90. bvirns: streams, common in Scotch speech. Cf, in Auld 

Lang Syne : — ,, ^ ^ , , .,,.^ . ^u ^ 

^ "^ " We twa ha' paidht in the burn." 

94. climbing life . . . prone year. The metaphor is that of 
the ascending and descending sun. 
105. good lack : a homelier rendering of alas. 



190 GARETH AND LYNETTE 

116. follow the Christ, the King. At Arthur's coronation 
his knighthood sang 

" The King will follow Christ, and we the King." 

The Coming of Arthur, 499. 

The battle-cry at Mount Badon {Lancelot and Elaine, 304) was 
" Christ and the King." 

120-129. For the doubts about Arthur's royal birth, and for Belli- 
cent's faith in him, see The Coming of Arthur, 139-345, 

133-134. See Introduction, pp. 30-31, for Arthur's war against 
Rome. 

135. Idolaters : the heathen Saxons. 

151. scullions : dish-washers ; derived from an old French word 
meaning a dish-cloth. 

kitchen-knaves: kitchen-boys. That King Arthur needed 
plenty of serving-boys in the royal kitchen is plain from the descrip- 
tion in Sir Gaivain and the Green Knight of a New Year feast. 

" Thus the king sat befoi*e the high tables, and spake of many 
things; and there good Sir Gawain was seated by Guinevere the 
queen. . . . These were worthily served on the dais [platform], 
and a,t the lower tables sat many valiant knights. Then they bare 
the first course with the blast of trumpets and waving of banners, 
with the sound of drums and pipes, of song and lute, that many a 
heart was uplifted at the melody. Many were the dainties, and 
rare the meats ; so great was the plenty they might scarce find room 
on the board to set on the dishes. Each helped himself as he liked 
best, and to each two were twelve dishes, with great plenty of beer 
and wine." — Weston, 2-4. 

'157. villain: servile; derived from Latin villanus, a farm- 
servant. 

1G2. Cf. Spenser's Faery Queen, V. v. 46: — 

" His body was her thrall, his heart was freely placed." 

163. And I shall see the jousts. 

On festival occasions, a series of tilts with blunt lances was an 
indispensable part of the pleasure. In Gottfried's Tristan and 
Iseult such an occasion is described : — 



NOTES 191 

" Now the time for the yearly high feast came round ; for every 
year through the month of May Mark held high court, and the 
knights from Cornwall and England came and brought their ladies 
with them, and all was mirth and rejoicing. The tents were pitched 
in a meadow nigh to Tintagel, where there was everything to delight 
eye and ear: the birds sang in the thicket, the green grass was 
studded with flowers, a stream rippled through the meadow, and 
the linden houghs waved in the soft summer wind. The guests 
lodged each one as it pleased him best; some in pavilions of silk, 
some in bowers woven of the green summer boughs; they rode 
knightly jousts, and danced, and made merry all the day long." — 
Weston, I. 5. 

176. The poem up to this point is mainly of Tennyson's own 
invention, though he may have taken some hints from the Mabino- 
gion tale of Peredur (Perceval). The father and six brothers of 
Peredur had fallen in battle, so his mother, "a scheming and 
thoughtful woman," fled with him into the wilderness. " And she 
permitted none to bear her company thither but women and boys, 
and spiritless men, who were both unaccustomed and unequal to 
war and fighting. And none dared to bring either horses or arms 
where her son was, lest he should set his mind upon them. And 
the youth went daily to divert himself in the forest, by flinging 
sticks and staves. . . . And one day they saw three knights com- 
ing along the horseroad on the borders of the forest. . . . 'Mother,' 
said Peredur, 'what are those yonder?' 'They are angels, my 
son,' said she. 'By my faith,' said Peredur, 'I will go and 
become an angel with them.' . . . Then Peredur returned to 
his mother and her company, and he said to her, ' Mother, those 
were not angels, but honorable knights.' Then his mother swooned 
away. And Peredur went to the place where they kept the horses 
that carried firewood, and that brought meat and drink from the 
inhabited country to the desert. And he took a bony piebald horse, 
which seemed to him the strongest of them. And he pressed a pack 
into the form of a saddle, and with twisted twigs he imitated the 
trappings which he had seen upon the horses. And when Peredur 
came again to his mother, the Countess had recovered from her 
swoon. 'My son,' said she, ' desirest thou to ride forth? ' 'Yes, 



19^ GARETH AND LYNETTE 

with thy leave,' said he. ' Wait, then, that I may counsel thee 
before thou goest.' 'Willingly,' he answered, 'speak quickly.' 
' Go forward,' then she said, ' to the court of Arthur, where there 
are the best, and the boldest, and the most bountiful of men. And 
whenever thou seest a church, repeat thy Paternoster unto it. 
And if thou see meat and drink, and hast need of them, and none 
have the kindness or the courtesy to give them to thee, take them 
thyself. If thou hear an outcry, proceed towards it, especially if it 
be the outcry of a woman. If thou see a fair jewel, possess thyself 
of it, and give it to another, for thus thou shalt obtain praise. If 
thou see a fair woman, pay thy court to her, whether she will or 
no; for thus thou wilt render thyself a better and more esteemed 
man than thou wert before.' 

" After this discourse, Peredur mounted the horse, and taking a 
handful of sharp pointed forks in his hand, he rode forth." — Lady 
Charlotte Guest's Translation, Vol. I. pp. 297-301. 

182. kindled into flowers. So in Tennyson's (Enoiie, I. 94; — 

" And at their feet the crocus brake like fire." 

185. Camelot. 

Caxton thought that this legendary city where Arthur chiefly held 
his court was located in Wales. Malory identified it with Winches- 
ter. Dr. Sommer and other modern scholars fix it on the river 
Camel in Somersetshire, where are the remains of an ancient town 
and fortress, a bridge called Arthur's Bridge, and local Arthurian 
traditions. But Tennyson's Camelot has no geographical site. In 
this idyll, and again in The Hohj Grail (225-255; 339-3G0), it is 
pictured as a " dim rich city," built by ancient kings upon a mount 
that overlooked, on the one side, those yellowing woods of vvhich 
we hear in The Last Tournament, and on the other that meadow in 
which, as we learn from Lancelot and Elaine, the jousts were held. 
The crown of the high city was the great hall that Merlin built for 
Arthur, surmounted by the golden statue of the King. 

200. changelini^ out of Fairyland. 

It is an old and widespread superstition that fairies are wont to 
steal babies from their cradles and leave elves in their places, — a 



NOTES 193 

superstition that (see Whittier's poem The Changeling) lived ou iuto 
the days of the New England witchcraft. 

" B3' wells and rills, in meadows green, 
"We nightly dance our hey-day guise ; 
And to our fairy king and queen 
We chant our moonlight harmonies. 
When larks gin sing, 
Awaj' we fling, 
And babes new-born steal as we go ; 
An elfin bed 
We leave instead, 
And wend us laughing, ho, ho, ho I " 

Tlie Pranks of Puck. 

202. Merlin's glamour. 

Merlin, the enchanter, was supposed to be the child of a mortal 
mother and a demon, so that his enemies called him Devil's Son, 
but the hermit Bleys, who reared him, saved him by baptism from 
his evil father. The magic of Merlin was thus not the Black Art, 
but a "glamour," a weaving of illusions, chiefly exerted for the 
good of Arthur's kingdom. 

205. enow = enongh. 

212. The Lady of the Lake. 

This is a water-fairy who appears throughout the romances under 
different names and in various characters, — now as the lover and 
betrayer of Merlin, whom for love's sake, to keep him always near 
her, or because she is wearied out by the old man's persistent devo- 
tion (Tennyson's Merlin awl Vivien degrades the story), she makes 
her prisoner; then as the foster-mother of Lancelot, whom she stole 
in childhood ; but chiefly as the mystic protector of Arthur. Ten- 
nyson chooses to make her a personification of Religion. 

Cf. The Coming of Arthur, 282-293, and note the following inter- 
pretation : — 

" We see Religion, as the Lady of the Lake, standing ou the key- 
stone of the arch, with arms outstretched in form of the cross, and 
supporting the whole superstructure. The keystone is 

'lined 
And rippled like an ever-fleeting wave' 



194 GARETII AND LYNETTE 

in harmony with lier dwelling, the deep waters with the eternal 
calm; and her dress tells the same tale. The drops of water which 
fall from either hand are, we may presume, the waters of baptism, 
which she offers to all who will come to her. The sword which 
hangs from one hand is the weapon of the Church militant, and rep- 
resents the Church's outward life of conflict and struggle. The cen- 
ser in the other shows us her inner and spiritual life of devotion. 
Both are worn with the winds and storms of long centuries of trial 
and endurance, wnthin and without. The sacred fish which floats 
over her breast is the IX0Y2— the ancient Christian symbol." — 
Henry Elsdale, Studies in the Idylls. 

Other interpreters suggest that the dress of the Lady, "rippled 
like an ever-fleeting wave," may signify the changing forms of 
Religion, while her arms, like a cross, upbear the unchanging 
cornice. 

218. either = each. 

219. the sacred fish. 

The fish may have been used as the watchword of Christianity in 
the times of the Roman persecution because Peter and James and 
John were fishers, but more probably because its Greek letters 
(ix©Y2) are initials for the Greek words 'Itjo-oOs Xpto-rbs ©eoO 'Ytbs 
SwT^p, forming the phrase, Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour. 

221. Arthur's Avars in weird devices done. 

Again within the hall, as we read in The Holy Grail (246-250), 

" twelve great windows blazon Arthur's wars, 
And all the light that falls upon the board 
Streams thro' the twelve great battles of our King." 

Cf. £alin and Balan, 77-87. 

222. co-twisted: intermingled. 

223. inveterately : inextricably. 

225. those three Queens. Cf. The Coming of Arthur, 275- 
278. 

The present Lord Tennyson quotes {Memoir, IL 127) his father 
as saying, in reference to the symbolism of the Idylls : — 

" Of course Camelot, for instance, a city of shadowy palaces, is 
everywhere symbolic of the gradual growth of human beliefs and 
institutions, and of the spiritual development of man. Yet there 



NOTES 195 

is no single fact or incident in the Idylls, however seemingly mys- 
tical, which cannot be explained as without any mystery or 
allegory whatever." " The Bishop of Ripou (Boyd Carpenter) 
once asked him," continues the biographer, "whether they were 
right who interpreted the three Queens, who accompanied King 
Arthur on his last voyage, as Faith, Hope, and Charity. He 
answered : ' They are right, and they are not right. They mean 
that and they do not. They are three of the noblest of women. 
They are also those three Graces, but they are much more. I hate 
to be tied down to say, "This means that," because the thought 
within the image is much more than any one interpretation.' " 
229. dragon-boughts : coils and folds of dragon-tails. 
239. share: ploughshare. 

248. playing on him : teasing him with riddling answers. 
248-274. The following interpretations should be taken as sug- 
gestive, not dogmatic: — 

' ' The fairy king and fairy queens who come from a sacred moun- 
tain cleft towards the sunrise [i.e. Parnassus] to build the city, are 
the old mythologies whose birthplace was in the East, the land of 
the rising sun. From them, besides the religions of the ancient 
world, are derived poetry, architecture, sculpture; all those ele- 
vating and refining arts and sciences which were called into exist- 
ence mainly and primarily as the expression and embodiment of 
religious feeling. These, with all that whole circle of unnumbered 
influences, mental, moral, or religious, derived from the experi- 
ences of the past, with which they are associated, constitute the 
city in which the soul dwells, — the sphere in which it works, and 
the surrounding atmosphere in which it breathes. . . . The city 
is built to music; for as the harmony and proportion of sound 
constitute music, so the harmony and proportion of all the various 
elements and powers which go to make up the man will constitute 
a fitting shrine for the ideal soul. ' Therefore never built at all ' ; 
for the process of assimilating and working up into one harmonious 
whole all the various external elements is continually going on and 
unending. ' Therefore built forever ' ; for since harmonious and 
proportionate development is the continual law, the city will always 
be complete and at unity with itself." — Elsdale. 



196 GARETII AND LYNETTE 

" The city in another sense may represent the state of spiritual 
and moral culture in the world during any epoch. Every genera- 
tion has to build its own spiritual city for itself — the music has to 
be kept up by those who come next — and so on : therefore it has 
continuity, for men are ever building; yet it is not a permanent 
structure, but depends on the renewed efforts of generation after 
generation." — Harold Littledale, Essays on Tennyson's Idylls 
of the King. 

" Not of brick and mortar is builded this city of God, but of the 
invisible virtues of the soul, and it is built to music, to that divine 
harmony of order which keeps the perfect concord of truth and 
beauty and love in the spiritual kingdom ; and it is ever building, 
and therefore built forever, for this kingdom of the soul is an 
institution wherein souls are ever being edified unto perfection. 
In this city is nothing real saving the soul, all else being but type 
and shadow. Who enters this city must swear the King's vows, 
uttermost obedience to the King, and to lead sweet lives of purest 
chastity, vows which it is a shame for a man not to swear, but 
vows which no man, simply as man, can keep; for he can fulfill 
them only by becoming spiritualized. Let him who dreads to 
swear, pass not beneath the mystic archway which gives entrance 
to the spiritual city, but abide without amongst the cattle of the 
field, who know only the things of sense." — C. B. Fallen, The 
Mcaninff of the Idylls of the Kinr/. 

258. And built it to the music of their harps. 

It is so that Amphion was said to have built the walls of Thebes. 
See, for a variation of the legend, Tennyson's early poem, Amphion. 

280. the Riddling of the Bards : the mystical triplets of the 
old British minstrels. Tennyson suggests these m Merlin's " rid- 
dling triplets of old time " given in The Coming of Arthur, 402- 
410. 

310. Then into hall Gareth ascending. " For 'twas the 
custom in Arthur's days that while the king held court no door, 
small nor great, should be shut, but all men were free to come and 
go as they willed." — Morion (Weston, 19). 

.314. delivering doom = pronouncing judgment on the cases 
brought before him, 

/ 



NOTES 197 

351. seized = in possession. 

352. Grant me some knight to do the battle for me. 

Apparently the widow would have her cause decided, romance- 
fashion, by the trial of single combat. So in the tale told by 
Crestien de Troyes of The Knight of the Lion (Newell, I. 193) Sir 
Ewain proposes to contend against three at once in proof of the 
innocence of a maiden doomed to the stake. "If I can, I will 
defend her; truth to tell, God is with the right, and God and right 
belong together." But Arthur (371-373) insists that the accused 
shall have a hearing in the judgment-hall. 

355. wreak = avenge. 

359. Sir Kay, the seneschal. 

This " most ungentle knight in Arthur's hall " was Arthur's 
foster-brother, being the son' of that Sir Hector to whose care 
Merlin delivered the royal child. The wife of Sir Hector gave all 
her attention to the little Arthur, putting her own boy into the 
charge of a nurse, so that Kaj'^ grew up without good breeding. 
Arthur, at Sir Hector's request, made Kay seneschal, or steward, 
of all his lands, so that he was, in fact, more than mere " master of 
the meats and drinks." In the Welsh Triads he is called one of 
" the three diadem 'd chiefs of battle " and is said to have been able 
to transform himself into any shape he chose. According to the 
Mabinogion (II. 270) he had a number of other interesting traits. 
" Kai had this peculiarity, that his breath lasted nine nights and 
nine days under water, and he could exist nine nights and nine 
days without sleep. A wound from Kai's sword no physician could 
heal. Very subtle was Kai. When it pleased him he could render 
himself as tall as the highest tree in the forest. And he had 
another peculiarity, — so great was the heat of his nature, that 
when it rained hardest, whatever he carried remained dry for a 
handbreadth above and a handbreadth below his hand ; and when 
his companions were coldest, it was to them as fuel with which to 
light their fire." 

In the Mabinogion we find Kay serving Arthur's guests wuth 
food. " So Kai went to the kitchen and to the mead-cellar, and 
returned, bearing a flagon of mead, and a golden goblet, and a 
handful of skewers upon which were broiled coUops of meat" 



198 GARETH AND LYNETTE 

(I. 40). But he is on equal terms with them and already free of 
discourteous speech. He has an excellent opinion of himself and 
is always eager to fight, though always overthrown. AVhen he 
brings down Arthur's reproof upon him, he is "greatly grieved 
thereat," and Arthur, too, is grieved at his reverses, for Arthur 
•'loved him greatly." But at last Kay takes offence at a jest of 
Arthur's. " And thenceforth, neither in Arthur's troubles, nor for 
the slaying of his men, would Kai come forward to his aid for ever 
after" (11.304). 

By Geoffrey, " Caius the sewer " (see Introduction, pp. 30-31) 
is shown as one of Arthur's most valiant and trusted warriors, 
and Layamon has good words for " the keen Earl Kay " ; but the 
romances know him as one whose tongue was sharper and more 
dreaded than his lance, " for so bitter was Kay, that he would be 
sure to jest with sarcasms that wound the heart." — (Newell, I. 
158.) For instance : — 

"When Calogrenaut had finished his story, Kay, who could 
never keep peace, exclaimed that there were many words in a pot 
of wine ; he asked Sir Ewain if his boots were scoured and his 
banners displayed, and if he meant to go that very night; he bade 
him not depart without taking leave, and if he had evil dreams, to 
stay at home. Queen Guinevere cried, that if she had Kay's 
tongue she would impeach it of high treason, for it made its master 
hated ; bvit Sir Ewain responded that it was proper to answer rude- 
ness with courtesy, and he was no mastiff to return another dog's 
growl." — Newell, I. 151-152. 

Wolfram von Eschenbach has a warm defence of Kay's character 
in the sixth book of the Parzival. 

362. gyve and gag. 

" In old times scolding women were sometimes tied in a chair 
called the ducking-stool, and an iron muzzle (called a Brank's or 
Gossip's bridle) was fastened on their heads." — Littledale. 

367. Aureliiis Enirys, called by Geoffrey, Aurelius Ambrosius. 
He was Uther's elder brother, and preceded him on the throne of 
Britain. His reign was epitomized in Merlin's prophecy: " The 
faces of the Saxons shall look red with blood, Hengist shall be 
killed, and Aurelius Ambrosius shall be crowned. He shall bring 



NOTES 199 

peace to the nation ; he shall restore the churches ; hut shall die of 
poison." — Geoffrey's British History, VIII, 1. 

368, Uther, Arthur's father, known as Uther Pendragon, because 
of the portent which announced his reign. " During these trans- 
actions at Winchester, there appeared a star of wonderful magni- 
tude and brightness, darting forth a ray, at the end of which 
was a globe of fire in the form of a dragon, out of whose mouth 
issued forth two rays. ... At this he [Merlin] burst out into 
tears, and with a loud voice cried out, ' O irreparable loss ! O 
distressed people of Britain! Alas! the illustrious prince is de- 
parted! The renowned king of the Britons, Aurelius Ambrosius, 
is dead! whose death will prove fatal to us all, unless God be our 
helper. Make haste, therefore, most noble Uther, make haste to 
engage the enemy: the victory will be yours, and you shall be 
king of all Britain. For the star, and the fiery dragon under it, 
signifies j'ourself , and the ray extending towards the Gallic coast, 
portends that you shall have a most potent son, to whose power 
all those kingdoms shall be subject over which the ray reaches.' " 
— Geoffrey's British History, VIII. 14-15. 

376. Mark, husband of Isolt, whom Tristan loved. Arthurian 
scholars tell us that the great body of Tristan romances divide 
into two families. The one group makes Mark a base character, 
as Tennyson represents him, but in the other group he is honourable 
and trustful, even generous to a fault. "And in truth the won- 
drous beauty of Iseult had so fettered King Mark's eyes and senses 
that he could not see in her aught that should displease him, for he 
loved her so well that he overlooked all the sorrow she might cause 
him." — Gottfried's Tristan and Iseult (Weston, II. 126). 

380. charlock : the wild mustard, a yellow weed, beautiful in 
the sun. 

383. delivering: announcing. 

vassal king : holding his lands by feudal tenure from Arthur, 
his " liege-lord." 

386. Tristram. The tragic love of Tristan and Isolt is thought 
of by the old romancers as free, or all but free, from guilt, because 
they unwittingly, while Tristan was conducting Isolt from Ireland 
to Cornwall for her marriage with King Mark, had drunken together 



200 GARETH AND LYNETTE 

a mastic love potion. The word " cousin " is used in this line in the 
general sense of kinsman. Tristan was, in exact relationship, 
Mark's nephew, a sister's son. 

405. blazoii'd : the carven device painted with the heraldic 
colours. 

415-416. them we enroll'd 

Among us. 

According to the romances, Arthur was not always so particular. 
Once, at least, to " enlarge his court, he bathed a hundred varlets, of 
whom he wished to make knights." — Eric and Enide (Newell, 1. 36). 

422. lap = wrap. The dead were enclosed in sheet lead. So 
Guinevere, after death, "was wrapped in cered [waxed] cloth of 
Rennes, from the top to the toe, in thirty folds, and after she was 
put in a web of lead, and then in a coffin of marble." — Malory, 
XXI. 11. 

429. noise = report. 

431. It is at this point that Tennyson's idyll makes connection 
with Malory. The seventh book of Le Morte Darthur gives " the 
tale of Sir Gareth of Orkney that was called Beaumains [Fair- 
hands] by Sir Kay." According to Malory, Arthur was holding 
court at a castle in the Welsh marches, at Whitsuntide. A little 
before noon on the day of the Feast, a day on which Arthur had 
vowed he would not go to meat *' until he had heard or seen of a 
great marvel," Sir Gawain, looking from the window, — he was 
probably growing hungry, — saw three men, attended by a dwarf, 
alight from horseback, " and one of the three men was higher than 
the other twain by a foot and a half. Then Sir Gawain went unto 
the King and said, * Sir, go to your meat, for here at the hand come 
strange adventures.' So King Arthur went unto his meat with 
many other kings." Presently there entered the hall two men 
richly clad, '* and upon their shoulders there leaned the goodliest 
young man and the fairest that ever they all saw, and he was large 
and long and broad in the shoulders and well visaged and the fairest 
and the largest handed that ever man saw." Room was made for 
the strangers, and they passed up to the platformed table, where 
the kings sat, at the head of the hall. " Then this much young 



NOTES 201 

man pulled him back and easily stretched up straight, saying: 
' King Arthur, God you bless and all your fair fellowship, and in 
especial the fellowship of the Table Roimd.' " The petition of this 
" much young man ' was for meat and drink for a year and, at the 
end of the year, permission to ask for two gifts more. 

" ' My fair son,' said Arthur, ' ask better, I counsel thee, for this 
is but a simple asking, for my heart giveth me to thee greatly that 
thou art come of men of worship, and greatly my conceit faileth 
me but thou shalt prove a man of right great worship.' ' Sir.' he 
said, ' thereof be as it may ; I have asked that I will ask.' ' Well,' 
said the King, ' ye shall have meat and drink enow ; I never defended 
[refused] that none, neither my friend nor my foe. But what is thy 
name? I would wit.' 'I cannot tell you,' said he. 'That is mar- 
vel,' said the King, ' that thou knowest not thy name, and thou art 
one of the goodliest young men that ever I saw.' Then the King 
betook him to Sir Kay, the steward, and charged him that he should 
give him of all manner of meats and drinks of the best, and also 
that he have all manner of finding [maintenance in every way] as 
though he were a lord's son. ' That shall little need,' said Sir Kay, 
' to do such cost upon him, for I dare undertake [warrant] he is a 
villain [peasant] born, and never will make man, for an he had 
come of gentlemen, he would have asked of you horse and harness 
[armor], but such as he is so he asketh. And since he hath no 
name, I shall give him a name that shall be Beaumains, that is, 
Fair-hands ; and into the kitchen I shall bring him, and there he 
shall have fat brewis every day, that he shall be as fat by the 
twelvemonth's end as a pork hog.' Right so the two men departed 
and left him to Sir Kay, that scorned him and mocked him." 

Sir Gawain and Sir Lancelot, like the noble knights they were, 
protested against Sir Kay's mockery of the stranger, but to no 
avail. " ' Upon pain of my life,' said Sir Kay, ' he was fostered up 
in some abbey and, howsoever it was, they failed of meat and 
drink, and so hither he is come for his sustenance.' And so Sir 
Kay bade get him a place and sit down to meat. Sir Beaumains 
went to the hall door and set him down among the boys and lads 
and there he ate sadly. And then Sir Lancelot after meat bade 
him come to his chamber and there he siiould have meat and drink 



202 G A RE Til AND LYNETTE 

enough. And so did Sir Gawain, but he refused them all. He 
would do none other but as Sir Kay comuianded him, for no pi-of- 
fer. But as touching Sir Gawain, he had reason to proffer him 
lodging, meat and drink; for that ptoffer came of his blood, for 
he was nearer kin to him than he Mist. But that Sir Lancelot did 
was of his great gentleness and courtesy. So thus he was put into 
the kitchen and lay nightly as the boys of the kitchen did. And 
so he endured all that twelvemonth and never displeased man nor 
child, but always he was meek and mild. But ever wdien he saw 
any jousting of knights, that would he see an he might. And ever 
Sir Lancelot would give him gold to spend and clothes, and so did 
Sir Gawain. And where there were any masteries [trials of 
strength and skill] done, thereat would he be ; and there miglit 
none cast bar nor stone to him by two yards. Then would Sir Kay 
say : ' How liketh you my boy of the kitchen ? ' So it past on till 
the feast of Whitsuntide." 

443-445. Kay, who is spoken of in the Mabinoglon as tall, is made 
by Tennyson pale and sickly in look, like a plant whose root sap is 
drawn away by a parasite. The lichen that gnawed at his heart 
was an envious jealousy. A vivid description of him is given in 
the Perceval of Crestien de Troyes. 

" It was on Whitsuntide ; by King Arthur, on a dais, sat Queen 
Guinevere, among counts, dukes, and kings, queens, countesses, 
and damsels. After mass, ladies and knights had returned from 
the monastery ; through the hall marched Kay, unmantled, with 
staff of office in right hand, and bonnet on head, his blond hair 
bound in a tress ; in the world was no better knight, save for his 
sharp tongue ; his coat was of tinted silk, and his glittering belt 
showed buckle and clasp of gold. As he passed, all stood from his 
path, for a wise man feareth a wicked tongue, be the words jest or 
earnest." — Newell, \l. 51. 

446. broken from some abbey. This was itself an insult, as 
the common proverb ran: "He that hath once been in an abbey 
wall evermore be slothful." 

447. brewis : broth with bread in it. 

451. Lancelot. For Lancelot's place in the Arthurian romances, 
see Introduction, pp. 35-38. 



NOTES 203 

452. sleuth-hound: blood-hound; a hound which follows the 
" sleuth," or track of a deer. 
gray: greyhound. 

4(>5-467. The only hint in this Idyll of the secret evil that is to 
spread to the corruption of the whole court. 

469. According to Layamon, even kitchen service under Arthur 
was splendid and noble. " Each of his cup-bearers, and of his 
chamber-thanes, and his chamber-knights, bare gold in hand for 
back and for bed. They went clad with gold web. Never had he 
a cook was not champion good " (19943-19951). 
476. broach : spit, for roasting meats. 

477-480. Cf. George Herbert's poem, The Elixir, especially the 
stanza, — 

"A servant with this clause 
Makes drudgery divine: 
Who sweeps a room, as for Thy laws, 
Makes that and th'actlon fine," 

485-486. Cf. Lancelot and Elaine, 310-316. 

489. tarns: mountain pools. 

490. Caer-Eryri's highest: the top of Snowdon. Here we 

have yet another report of the manner of Arthur's coming to earth. 

492. the Isle Avilion. " Avalon," says Mr. Nutt (Studies in 
the Legend of the Holy Grail, 223), " is certainly the Welsh equiva- 
lent of the Irish Tir na n-Og, the land of youth, the land beyond 
the waves, the Celtic paradise. When or how this Cymric myth 
was localised at Glastonbury we know not. We only know that 
Glastonbury was one of the first places in the island to be devoted 
to Christian worship. Is it too rash a conjecture that the Christian 
church may have taken the place of some Celtic temple or holy spot 
specially dedicated to the cult of the dead, and of that Lord of the 
Shades from which the Celts feigned their descent? The position 
of Glastonbury, not far from that western sea beyond which lie 
the happy isles of the dead, would favor such an hypothesis. Al- 
though direct proof is wanting, I believe that the localisation is old 
and genuine." 

500. A typical romance dragon is described in Sir Gaivain at the 
Grail Castle (Weston, 60) : "In all the world were there no more 



204 GAREril AND LYNETTE 

diverse colors than might be seen upon it, for 'twas red, and blue, 
and yellow, and green, and black, and white; and its eyes were 
red and swollen, and its mouth huge and gaping." 

571. the lions on thy shield: described in Lancelot and 
Elaine, G58-G59, as,— 

" Sir Lancelot's azure lions, crown'd with gold, 
Earnp in the field." 

Yet in The Lady of Shalott we read, — 

" A redcross knight forever kneel'd 
To a lady in his shield." 

573. Malory takes up his tale at this point as follows : It was the 
feast of Pentecost again and, as before, Arthur would eat no meat 
till he had heard of some high deed ; but when a squire told him of 
the coming of a damosel with some strange adventure, he was glad 
and sat him down. "Right so there came a damosel into the hall, 
and saluted the King, and prayed him of succor. 'For whom?' 
said the King. * What is the adventure ? ' ' Sir,' said she, ' I have 
a lady of great worship and renown, and she is besieged M'ith a 
tyrant.' " But the damosel refused to tell her lady's name and 
dwelling, though she named her enemy as the Red Knight of the 
Red Lands, and so Arthur declined to grant her a champion. 

" With these words came before the King Beaumains, while the 
damosel was there ; and thus he said : ' Sir King, God thank you, I 
have been these twelve months in your kitchen, and have had my 
full sustenance, and now I will ask my two gifts that be behind.' 
' Ask upon my peril,' said the King. ' Sir, these shall be my two gifts : 
first, that ye will grant me to have this adventure of the damosel, 
for it belongeth nnto me.' 'Thou shalt have it,' said the King. 

* I grant it thee.' 'Then, sir, this is the other gift: that ye shall 
bid Lancelot du Lac to make me knight, for of him I will be made 
knight and else of none. And when I am past I pray you let him 
ride after me and make me knight when I require him.' ' All this 
shall be done,' said the King. 'Fie on thee!' said the dani!)sol. 

* Shall I have none but one that is your kitchen page ? ' Then was 



NOTES 205 

she wroth and took her horse and departed." Thei-eat appeared 
the dwarf with steed and armour, but no shield nor .spear, and with 
trappings of cloth of gold. Beaumains rode after the damosel, fol- 
lowed by Sir Kay and, at a distance, by Sir Lancelot. Just as the 
youth overtook the damosel, Kay called after him: "What, Sir 
Beaumains, know ye not me? " The youth turned and answered: 
" I know you for an ungentle knight of the court, and therefore 
beware of me." In the tilt, Beaumains unhorsed Sir Kay and took 
his shield and spear. Then he rushed on Sir Lancelot, " more like 
a giant than a knight," and " his fighting was durable and passing 
perilous ; for Sir Lancelot had so much ado with him that he dread 
himself to be shamed." After they had had enough of it and made 
peace, the youth told Sir Lancelot that he was by name Gareth of 
Orkney, and Sir Lancelot gave him knighthood. " So Sir Lancelot 
departed from him, and came to Sir Kay, and made him to be 
borne home upon his shield, and so he was healed hard with the life, 
and all men scorned Sir Kay." 

586. that best blood : the sacramental wine. 

607. a holy life: i.e., in a nunnery. 

610. this Order : the order of the Round Table. For the first 
appearance of the Round Table in Arthurian Romance, see Intro- 
duction, p. 33 and cf. p. 35. According to the Roman cle Merlin, 
Arthur's Round Table is that at which Christ and his disciples par- 
took of the Last Supper. Those who sat at that mystic Table had 
only to wish for any favourite food, and it was at once in their plates. 
The fullest description of the Grail Feast is given by Wolfram von 
Eschenbach in his Parzival, Book V, Anfortas. The chair in 
which Christ had sat, the Siege Perilous or Chair of Peril, stood 
at the board but every one who dared sit in it perished, melting 
as lead melts in the fire, until Galahad, losing himself to save 
himself, took the sacred seat, and Arthur's hall beheld the vision 
of the Holy Grail. (See Tennyson's The Holy Grail, 16(1-194.) 

But Malory says the Round Table was made by Merlin for Uther 
" in token of the roundness of the world, for by the Round Table is 
the world signified by right " (XIV. 2). It was given by Uther to 
King Leodogran (see The Coming of Arthur), who gave it again, 
with one hundred knights, to Arthur as Guinevere's dowry. Its 



206 GARETH AND LYNETTE 

full complement, howe-^^r, was one hundred and fifty. For the 
vows of the Order, see Guinevere, 404-474. 

614-615. that old knight-errantry. 

" For then the best and bravest knights were wont to wander 
through the land seeking adventures by day and by night, with 
never a squire for company, and it might well be that in the day's 
journey they found neither house nor tower, or again perchance 
tliey would find two or three such. Or by dusky night they miglit 
find fair adventures, the which they would tell again at court, even 
as they had befallen. And the clerks of the court would write 
them fairly on parchment in the Latin tongue, so that in days to 
come, men, as they would, might hearken to them. And these 
tales were turned from Latin into Romance, and from them, as our 
ancestors tell us, did the Britons make many a lay." — The Lay of 
Tyolet (Weston, 57-58). 

671. Dull-coated things: beetles. So Tennyson, in The Two 
Voices, tells how 

"To-day I saw the dragon-fly 
Come from the wells where he did lie. 

"An inner impulse rent the veil 
Of his old husk : from head to tail 
Came out clear plates of sapphire mail. 

" He dried his -wings : like gauze they grew: 
Thro' crofts and pastures wet wth dew 
A living flash of light he flew." 

In the one case, however, the poet refers to the parting of the 
dark wing-cases as the insect flies ; in the other, to its coming out 
from the chrysalis. 

688. being named : when called by name. 

693. past his time: lapsed into dotage. Yet Arthur was at 
this period in prime of life. 

721. were Sir Lancelot lackt: failing Sir Lancelot: in case 
Sir Lancelot were not to be had. 

726. This curious wording is directly suggested by Le Morte 



NOTES 207 

Darthur, which at this point reads: "So when he was armed 
there was none hut few so goodly a man as he was." 

728. agaric : a fungus of many species, the common mushroom 
heiug one. 

holt: wood. 

731. Or shrew or weasel: either shrew or weasel. A shrew 
is a little creature somewhat like a field-mouse. 

742. shingle : coarse gravel. 

745. overtaken. Malory continues the story of Beaumains as 
follows : — 

"When he had overtaken the damosel, anon she said: 'What 
dost thou here? Thou stinkest all of the kitchen. Thy clothes he 
hawdy [soiled with] the grease and tallow that thou gainest in 
King Arthur's kitchen. Weenest thou,' said she, ' that I allow 
thee for yonder knight that thou killest? Nay, truly, for thou 
slewest him unhappily [by mere accident] and cowardly ; therefore 
turn again, dirty kitchen page. I know thee well, for Sir Kay named 
thee Beaumains. What art thou but a lusk [a lazy lubber] and a 
turner of spits and a ladle washer? ' 'Damosel,' said Beaumains, 
' say to me what ye will. I will not go from you whatsoever ye 
say, for I have undertaken to King Arthur for to achieve your 
adventure, and so shall I finisA it to the end, or I shall die there- 
for.' ' Fie on thee, kitchen knave! Wilt thou finish mine adven- 
ture? Thou shalt anon be met withal that thou wouldest not, for 
all the broth that ever thou suppest, once look him in the face.' 
' I shall assay,' said Beaumains. So thus as they rode in the wood, 
there came a man fleeing all that ever he might. ' Whither wilt 
thou? said Beaumains. 'O lord,' he said, 'help me, for hereby 
in a slade [valley] are six thieves that have taken my lord and 
bound him, so I am af eared lest they will slay him.' 'Bring me 
thither,' said Beaumains. And so they rode together until they 
came there as was the knight bounden, and then he rode unto 
them, and strake one unto the death, and then another, and at the 
third stroke he slew the third thief; and then the other three fled. 
And he rode after them and he overtook them and then those three 
thieves turned again and assailed Beaumains hard, but at the last 
he slew them and returned and unbound the knight. And the 



208 GARETH AND LYNETTE 

knight thanked him and prayed him to ride with him to his castle 
there a little beside, and lie should worshipfully reward him for his 
good deeds. ' Sir,' said Beaumains, 'I will no reward have; I was 
this day made knight of noble Sir Lancelot, and therefore I will no 
reward have, but God reward me. And also I must follow this 
damosel,' And when he came nigh her, she bade him ride from 
her, ' for thou smellest all of the kitchen. Weenest thou that I 
have joy of thee ? for all this deed that thou hast done is but mis- 
happened thee [fallen out so by chance]. But thou shalt see a sight 
shall make thee turn again and that lightly.' Then the same knight 
which was rescued of the thieves rode after that damosel and 
prayed her to lodge with him all that night. And because it was 
near night, the damosel rode with him to his castle, and there they 
had great cheer. And at supper the knight set Sir Beaumains 
afore the damosel. 'Fie, fie! ' said she, 'Sir Knight, ye are un- 
courteous to set a kitchen knave afore me; him beseemeth better 
to stick a swine than to sit afore a damosel of high parentage.' 
Then the knight was ashamed at her words, and took him up, and 
set him at a side board, and set himself afore him. And so all that 
night they had good cheer and merry rest." 

749. uiihappiness: accident. 

773. even-song: the hour of vespers. An old English rhyme 

runs ; — 

" Be the day weary, be the day long. 
At last it ringeth to evensong." 

802. vermin : obnoxious, worthless creatures, not necessarily 
insects. Cf. Lancelot and Elaine, 138-139. 

804. wan. This is a regular epithet for water in the English 
ballads; a favourite, too, with William Morris. It is usually ex- 
plained as pale, but no synonym is satisfactory. Water has a colour 
all its own — a colour which this word especially suggests. 

807. Good now; my good friend. 

811. None! for the deed's sake have I done the deed. 
Cf. Shakespeare's Coriolanus, II. ii. 120-125. 

" Our si)oil8 he kick'd at, 
And look'd upon things precious as they were 



NOTES 209 

The common muck o' the world; he covets less 
Than misery itself would give, rewards 
His deeds with doing them, and is content 
To spend the time to end it." 

"He's right noble." 

828. many a costly cate : many a rich dainty. 

The Normans, reciters and hearers of these old romances, though 
they abjured tlie gluttonous banquets of the Saxon, whose boards 
were wont to groan beneath the weight of smoking joints of beef, 
mutton, and venison, grouped about huge pasties and young pigs 
roasted whole, yet gave no small attention to the joys of the palate. 
Swans, larks, and peacocks were much to their taste, especially 
when their flavour was heightened with cloves and ginger. Their 
"costly cates" were often compounded by the lady of the castle, 
who knew how to sweeten dishes with honey and colour them with 
saffron, to compound savory salads of nearly all green herbs that 
grow, and to mingle dates, currants, almonds, plums of Syria and 
Damascus, eggs, cheese, milk, wine, and vinegar into choice deli- 
cates of mediaeval cookery. How well they fared, snatches from 
the old romances indicate, as this from Crestien de Troyes' Per- 
ceval : — 

" After meat, the time was spent in conversation, until servants 
brought herbs and fruits, such as are eaten before bedtime, dates, 
figs, and gilliflower heads, pomegranates and ginger. Of many 
liquors they partook, mulberry wine, clarets and clear sirops." — 
Newell, II. 60. 

829. a peacock in his pride. Only lords and ladies enjoyed 
the distinction of having a whole bird or beast set before them for 
the dagger of some deft young squire to carve. For those who sat 
below the salt the hare and pigeons were served already " hewed 
on gobbets." A peacock was served up " iu his pride," the gor- 
geous plumage on, and before it, when "placed with great pomp 
and ceremony, as the top dish, at the most splendid feasts, all the 
guests, male and female, took a solemn vow : the knights vowing 
bravery, and the ladies engaguig to be loving and faithful." (Stan- 
ley's History of Birds.) " Thus we see," suggests Littledale, " that 



210 GARETH AND LYNETTE 

Tennyson does not introduce this dainty dish without a purpose: 
Lynette is to be reminded by tlie peacock in his pride tliat ladies 
should be loving and gentle to their champions — a lesson she 
stands rather in need of." 

If that be indeed the lesson of the peacock, Lynette is not au apt 
scholar. 

839. frontless: shameless. 

866. From this point on Tennyson's story deviates widely from 
Malory's and takes on more and more of an allegorical character. 
In Le Morte Darthur, Sir Beaumains rides on with the damosel in 
the morning, overcoming two knights who try to stay him at the 
passage of a river. Lynette still scoifs at him, and he still takes 
her words in patience. At evensong they come upon the Black 
Knight of the Black Lands, whom Sir Beaumains slays after a ter- 
rible encounter, taking his steed and armour ; but still the damosel 
flouts him as before. Next he encounters the Black Knight's 
brother, the Green Knight, and they combat long and mightily, but 
at the last Sir Beaumains brings the Green Kjiight to his knees, 
taking his homage and giving him life at the damosel's request, 
albeit made full ungraciously. They lodge that night at the Green 
Knight's manor, and again the damosel will not suffer Sir Beau- 
mains to sit at her table, "but the Green Knight took him up 
and set him at a side table." The Green Knight is, in fact, so 
scandalized by the damosel's behaviour that he fears for the safety 
of Sir Beaumains. "And so that night they went unto rest, and 
all that night the Green Knight commanded thirty knights privily 
bO watch Beaumains for to keep him from all treason. And so on 
the morn they all arose, and heard their mass, and brake their fast, 
and then they took their horses and rode on their way, and the 
Green Knight conveyed them through the forest, and there the 
Green Knight said : ' My lord Beaumains, I and these thirty knights 
shall be alway at your summons, both early and late, at your call- 
ing, and whither that ever ye will send us.' ' It is well said,' said 
Beaumains. ' When that I call upon you, ye must yield you unto 
King Arthur, and all your knights.' ' If that ye so command us, 
we shall be ready at all times,' said the Green Knight. ' Fie, fie 
upon thee in the Devil's name!' said the damosel. 'That any 



NOTES 211 

,c:ood knights should he obedient unto a kitchen knave! ' " Soon 
they come upon the third brother, the Red Knight of the Red 
Lands, and him, too, after a fierce encounter, Sir Beaumains over- 
comes, taking his homage and giving liim, on the demand of the 
damosel, his life. "Then the Red Knight prayed him to see his 
castle and to be there all night. So the damosel then granted him 
and there they had merry cheer. But always the damosel spake 
many foul words unto Beaumains, whereof the Red Knight had 
great marvel, and all that night the Red Knight made threescore 
knights to watch Beaumains that he should have no shame nor 
villainy." And in the morning the Red Knight promised to be 
ready, with his threescore knights, to yield himself unto Arthur 
whenever Sir Beaumains should bid. " So Sir Beaumains and the 
damosel departed, and ever she rode chiding him in the foulest 
manner." 

867. convey'd: accompanied. 

871. Lion and stoat have isled together. In perils of flood 
a lion will take refuge on the same islet with a stoat, — a little 
creature whose winter fur is the valuable white ermine ; and so 
this damosel of high lineage deigns, till danger is past, to bear with 
the fellowship of the kitchen knave. 

881-882. Cinderella, of whom the Middle Ages knew quite as 
much as the Twentieth Century. 

884. "The serpent river is the stream of time. Its three long 
loops the three ages of life — youth, middle age, old age. The 
guardians of the crossings are the personified forms of the tempta- 
tions suited to these different ages." — Elsdale. 

889. Lent-lily in hue: daffodil-colour, yellow. Daffodils are 
called Lent-lilies because they bloom in early spring : — 

"come before the swallow dares, and take 
The winds of March with beauty." 

Shakespeare, Winter's Tale, IV. iv. 120-121. 

896. Sir Morning-Star. 

" The Knight of the Morning Star symbolizes Youth, and the gay 
pavilion, in which he dwells with his maidens in rosy raiment, is 
the abode of pleasure. Youth, the season of pleasure, with its 



212 G A RET II AND LYNETTE 

temptations, guards the first pass of the river of life, here swift 
and narrow, which the spiritual man in his mortal journey must 
cross. Barring his way is the Knight of the Morning Star. Him 
must the spiritual man vancxuish. Nor is this accomplished at the 
first onset, nor without fierce struggle. Not until the Knight of 
the Morning Star, who is strong with the wine of pleasure, is 
brought grovelling to the ground is victory assured. Then is he 
at the mercy of the spiritual man, who sends him to Arthur's 
court, there to serve, not in wantonness and lawlessness, but in 
virtue and subjection to the King.'" — Fallen. 

903. Arm me. It was not unusual for knights to be armed by 
maidens, though the actual process was not always so poetic as 
this. When Enide armed Erec (Newell, I. 16), it was a very plain 
and businesslike proceeding. "Erec was keen for the fray; he 
called for his arms, and they were brought. The maid herself 
armed him, using no spell nor charm ; she laced his iron boots, 
binding them with deerskin straps ; she put on the browu helmet, 
and belted his brand." 

908. the stone Avanturine : quartz glittering with flakes of 
mica. 

917-920. It is worth while to compare Malory (VII. 6-7) , whose 
Black Knight is encountered at edge of evening. " And they came 
to a black land, and there was a black hawthorn, and thereon hung 
a black banner, and by it stood a black spear great and long, and 
a great black horse covered with silk, and a black stone fast by. 

" There sate a knight all armed in black harness, and his name 
was The Knight of the Black Lands. Then the damosel, when she 
saw that knight, she bade him flee down that valley, for his horse 
was not saddled. 'Gramercy,' said Beaumains, 'for always ye 
would have me a coward.' " 
921-923. Cf. Malory, VII. 11 : — 

*' ' Damosel,' he said, ' ye are to blame so to rebuke me, for I had 
liever do five battles than so to be rebuked.' " 
924-927. Cf. Malory, VII. 6: — 

" ' Fair damosel, giA^e me goodly language.' " And also VII. 11 : — 

" 'Damosel,' said Beaumains, ' a knight may little do that may 

not suffer a damosel, for whatsomever ye said unto me, I took 



^"OTES 213 

none heed to your words, for the more ye said the more ye angered 
me, and my wrath I wreaked upon them that I had ado withal.' " 
{)27-9.S7. Cf. Malory, VII. 7: — 

*' ' That may be,' said the Black Knight. ' How be it as ye say 
that he be no man of worship, he is a full likely person, and full 
like to be a strong man ; but thus much shall I grant you,' said the 
Black Knight. ' I sJiall put him down upon one foot, and his horse 
and his harness [armor] he shall leave with me, for it were shame to 
me to do him any more harm. . . . Now yield thy lady from thee, 
for it beseemeth never a kitchen page to ride with such a lady.' 
'Thou liest,' said Beaumains, 'I am a gentleman born, and of 
more high lineage than thou.' " 
941. catapult: a classic engine of war, used for hurling stones 
944-959. Tennyson follows here Malory's account of the combat 
with the Green Knight (VII, 8) rather than with the Black. 
Compare : — 

"Therewithal the Green Knight rode unto an horn that was 
green, and it hung upon a thorn, and there he blew three deadly 
notes, and there came two damosels that armed him lightly. And 
then he took a great horse and a green shield and a green spear. 
And then they ran together with all their mights and brake their 
spears unto their hands. And then they drew their swords and 
gave many sad [heavy] strokes, and either of them wounded other 
full ill. And at the last at an overthwart Beaumains with his 
horse strake the Green Knight's horse upon the side, that he fell to 
the earth. And then the Green Knight avoided his horse lightly 
and dressed hiui upon foot. That saw Beaumains and therewithal 
he alighted and they rushed together like two mighty champions a 
long while, and sore they bled both. With that came the damosel 
and said : ' My lord the (xreen Knight, why, for shame, stand ye so 
long fighting with the kitchen knave? Alas, it is shame that ever 
ye were made knight to see such a lad to match such a knight as if 
the weed overgrew the corn.' Therewith the Green Knight was 
avShamed, and therewithal he gave a great stroke of might and 
cleft his shield through. When Beaumains saw his shield cloven 
asunder, he was a little ashamed of that stroke and of her lan- 
guage. And then he gave him such a buffet upon the helm that he 



214 GARETH AND LYNETTE 

fell on his knees. And so suddenly Beaumains pulled him upon 
the ground grovelling. And then the Green Knight cried him 
mercy, and yielded him unto Sir Beaumains, and prayed him to 
slay him not. 'AH is in vain,' said Beaumains, 'for thou shalt 
die but if this damosel that came with me pray me to save thy 
life,' and therewithal he unlaced his helm like as he would slay 
him. ' Fie upon thee, false kitchen page! I will never pray thee 
to save his life for I will never be so much in thy favor [under 
obligation to thee].' 'Then shall he die,' said Beaumains . . . 
and therewithal he made a semblance to slay him. 'Let be,' said 
the damosel, ' thou foul knave ! slay him not, for an thou do thou 
shalt repent it.' ' Damosel,' said Beaumains, ' your charge is to 
me a pleasure, and at your commandment his life shall be saved, 
and else not.' Then he said, ' Sir Knight with the green arms, I 
release thee quit at this damosel's request.' " 

By the same method, Sir Beaumains obliges Lynette, " that was 
called the Damosel Savage," to ask him for the life of the Red 
Knight. 

968-970. So in Malory's version (VII. 7) after Beaumains has 
slain the Black Knight, the damosel says : — 

" 'Away, kitchen knave, out of the wind! for the smell of thy 
foul clothes grieveth me.' " 

970. And then she sang. 

"It is as the messenger of the imprisoned Lady Lyonors that 
Lynette sings the first victory of the soul over sense. It is not the 
morning star of pleasure, not the conquered felon overthrown by 
Gareth, whom she salutes, but the morning star of the spiritual 
world, now risen resplendent in the dawn, and presaging the final 
victory to come." — Fallen. 

1001. the Noonday Sun. 

"The Noonday Sun, ablaze with a blinding light, is the season 
of middle age, glowing fierce with the ambitions of the world. He 
guards the second loop of the river of life, barring its ford, a rag- 
ing shallow, against the passage of the spiritual man. His * cipher 
face of rounded foolishness ' is emblematic of the folly of ambition, 
the ' vanity of vanities, and all is vanity ' of the wise King of Holy 
Writ. Sharp and rough the battle with him, blow for blow, buffet 



NOTES 215 

for buffet, until he goes under, by the overbalance of his own huge 
strength, in the slippery shallows of the stream, he would hold 
against the spiritual man." — Fallen. 

1002-1005. This dandelion shield of giant size suggests, by con- 
trast, Wordsworth's diminutive daisy shield (in To a Daisy) : — 

"A silver shield, with boss of gold, 
That spreads itself, some faery bold 
In fight to cover." 

1030-1031. So in Le Morte Darthur (VII: 6), after Beaumains 
has slain the two knights at the river-ford, his perverse damosel 
says: " 'Thou weeuest thou hast done doughtily ; that is not so. 
For the first knight his horse stumbled, and there he was drowned 
in the water, and never it was by thy force nor by thy might.' " 

1045. The flower of kitcliendoin, instead of the flower of 
knighthood. 

104G-1048. In Merry England of the olden time the principal 
Christmas dish was the boar's head, which was brought into the 
dining-hall with much state and with the singing of a special carol. 

This began : — 

"The Boar's head in hand bring I, 
With garlands gay and rosemary." 

Brand {Popular Antiquities) also cites a significant passage from 
Dekker's The Wonderful Year [1603]. Dekker says that people 
afraid of catching the plague went "muffled up and down, with 
rue and wormwood stuffed into their ears and nostrils, looking 
like so many boar's heads stuck with branches of rosemary, to be 
served in for brawn at Christmas." 

1052-1053. The mavis is a thrush ; the merle, the English black- 
bird of ringing song. And see Wordsworth's The Green Linnet. 

1064. the Star of Eveuiiig. 

" The Knight of the Evening Star is old age, encased in the 
toughened habits of a lifetime, fitting like a hardened skin as close 
as his own. Who has not overcome the passions of youth, con- 
quered the ambitious of manhood, will not subdue the vicious uses 
of a lifetime that have become a second nature in old age. He 



216 GARETH AND LYNETTE 

wars against the ill-uses of a life that have become his masters. 
But, as Gareth declares, the strength that threw the Morning Star 
can throw the Evening Star." — Fallen. 

1129. As Malory tells the tale, after Sir Beaumaius has over- 
thrown the Black Knight, the Green Knight, and the Red Knight, 
he encounters a knight in blue trappings, Sir Persant of Inde, a 
brother of the other three. Beaumains bears himself so blithely 
in presence of this peril that Lynette suspects he is really of gentle 
blood. " ' Sir,' she said, ' I marvel what thou art, and of what kin 
thou art come; boldly thou speakest and boldly thou hast done; 
that have I seen ; therefore I pray thee save thyself an thou 
mayst.' " So the knight and the maiden make their peace, and Sir 
Beaumains combats so doughtily that he overcomes the formidable 
Blue Knight, who yields himself and a hundred knights to be at 
Beaumains' command and in his blue pavilion refreshes the weary 
victor with wine and spices. Then Beaumains discloses himself as 
Sir Gareth of Orkney, Arthur's nephew, and Gawain's brother, and 
rides on to the last and most terrible encounter with the Red Knight 
of the Red Lands, the besieger of Dame Lyonors. The dwarf has 
brought this lady word that her champion was on his way, and 
contented her well with the tale of his prowess. "'Dwarf, said 
the lady, ' I am glad of these tidings, therefore go thou in an hermit- 
age of mine hei'e by, and there shalt thou bear with thee of my 
wine in two flagons of silver, — they are of two gallons, — and also 
two cast [bakings?] of bread, with fat venison baked, and dainty 
fowls, and a cup of gold here I deliver thee that is rich and pre- 
cious, and bear all this to mine hermitage and put it in the hermit's 
hands.' " So that night Sir Beaumains rested in the hermitage. 
" And upon the morn he and the damosel Lynette heard their mass 
and brake their fast. And then they took their horses and rode 
throughout a fair forest and then they came to a plain and saw 
where there were many pavilions and tents and a fair castle, and 
there was much smoke and great noise. And when they came near 
the siege, Sir Beaumains espied upon great trees as he rode how 
there hung full goodly armed knights by the neck, and their shields 
about their necks with their swords, and s;ilt spurs \\\>ow their heels, 
and so there hung nigh a forty knights shaumrully with Cull rich 



NOTES 217 

ai-ms. . . . And then thej^ rode to the dykes and saw them double 
dyked with full strong walls, and there were lodged many great 
lords nigh the walls, and there was great noise of minstrels, and 
the sea beat upon the one side of the walls where were many ships 
and mariners' noise with hale and hoin. And also there was food 
by a sycamore tree and there hung a horn, the greatest that ever 
they saw, of an elephant's bone, and this Knight of the Red Lands 
had hanged it up there that if there came any errant knight he 
must blow that horn and then will he make him ready and come 
to him to do battle. ' But, sir, I pray you,' said the damosel Lyn- 
ette, ' blow ye not the horn till it be high noon, for now it is about 
prime, and now increased his might, that as men say he hath seven 
men's strength.' 'Ah! fie, for shame, fair damosel! Say ye never 
so more to. me. For an he were as good a knight as ever was, I 
shall never fail him in his most might, for either I will win wor- 
ship worshipfuUy or die knightly on the field.' And therewith he 
spurred his horse straight to the sycamore tree, and blew so the 
horn eagerly that all the siege and the castle rang thereof. And 
then there leapt out knights out of their tents and pavilions, and 
they within the castle looked over the walls and out at windows. 
Then the Red Knight of the Red Lands armed him hastily, and two 
barons set on his spurs upon his heels, and all was blood-red his 
armor, spear and shield. And an earl buckled his helm upon his 
head, and then they brought him a red spear and a red steed, and 
so he rode into a little vale under the castle that all that were in 
the castle and at the siege might behold the battle. 

"'Sir,' said the damosel Lynette unto Sir Beaumains, 'look ye 
be glad and light, for yonder is your deadly enemy, and at yonder 
window is my lady sister, Dame Lyonors.' ' AVhere? ' said Beau- 
mains. 'Yonder,' said the damosel, and pointed with her finger. 
' That is truth,' said Beaumains. ' She seemeth afar the fairest 
lady that ever I looked upon, and truly,' he said, ' I ask no better 
quarrel than now for to do battle, for truly she shall be my lady, 
and for her will I fight.' And ever he looked up to the window 
with glad countenance. And the Lady Lyonors made courtesy to 
him down to the earth, with holding up both her hands." 

The fight lasts without a break till past noon, when both those 



218 GARETH AND LYNETTE 

mighty champions are in rueful state, " wagging and staggering, 
panting, blowing and bleeding, that all that beheld them for the 
most part wept for pity." After resting a while, they go to battle 
again, raging like two wild boars. By evensong they have to rest 
once more, but the sight of Lady Lyonors so heartens Sir Beau- 
mains that in the end he overthrows the Red Knight of the Red 
Lands. But even after all this. Lady Lyonors will not admit Beau- 
mains to her castle, though, as he says, he has bought her love 
" with part of the best blood " in his body. But she puts him off 
for a twelvemonth, though Lynette speaks well for him: " 'He is 
courteous and mild and the most suffering man that ever I met 
withal. For I daresay there was never gentlewoman reviled man 
in so foul a manner as I have rebuked him. And at all times he 
gave me goodly and meek answers again.' " 

At the next Whitsuntide, as King Arthur held his feast, one by 
one there came in to make submission the Green Knight with his 
fifty, — though he had promised but thirty, — the Red Knight with his 
threescore, the Blue Knight with his hundred, and at the last Sir 
Ironside, the Red Knight of the Red Lands, with five hundred in 
his retinue. "'Well, my fair lords,' said King Arthur, 'wit you 
well I shall do you honor for the love of Sir Beaumains, and as 
soon as ever I meet with him, I shall make you all upon one day 
knights of the Table Round. . . . But I marvel,' said the King, 
' that I hear not of the Black Knight your brother ; he was a full 
noble knight.' ' Sir,' said Pertolipe the Green Knight, ' Sir Beau- 
mains slew him in an encounter with his spear.' . . . 'That was 
great pity,' said the King, and so said many knights." Then 
comes Queen Bellicent, seeking her boy, and rating the whole court 
for having made him a kitchen knave. And Lady Lyonors holds 
a tournament at Castle Perilous, and thither goes King Arthur with 
his knights, and Queen Bellicent with them, and Sir Gareth wins 
great praise in the tournament. " ' By my head,' said Sir Tristram, 
' he is a good knight and a big man of arms, and if he be young he 
shall prove a full noble knight.' ' He is but a child,' they all said, 
* and of Sir Lancelot he was made knight.' " 

And at Michaelmas the Archbishop of Canterbury makes the 
wedding between Sir Gareth and Lady Lyonors, and a younger 



NOTES 219 

brother of Gareth — not known to the Tennyson story — weds 
Lynette. "And so they held the court forty days with great 
solemnity. And this Sir Gareth was a noble knight, and a well- 
ruled and fair-languaged." 

1130. trefoil : three-leaved clover. 

1133-1141. Cf. Malory (VII. 11) : — 

" 'O Jesu ! marvel have I,' said the damosel, 'what manner a 
man ye be, for it may never be otherwise but that ye be come of 
a noble blood, for so foul nor shamefully did never woman rule a 
knight as I have done you, and ever courteously ye have suffered 
me, and that came never but of a gentle blood.' " 

1145-1151. See the second passage from Malory quoted under 
924-927. Its continuation runs : — 

" ' And therefore all the missaying that ye missaid me furthered 
me in my battle and caused me to think to show and prove myself 
at the end what I was ; for perad venture though I had meat in King 
Arthur's kitchen, yet I might have had meat enough in other places ; 
but all that, I did it for to prove and assay my friends, and that 
shall be known another day, and whether I be a gentleman born or 
none, I let you wit, fair damosel, I have done you gentleman's ser- 
vice, and peradventure better service yet will I do or I depart from 
you.' 'Alas! ' she said. 'Fair Beaumains, forgive me all that I 
have missaid or done against thee.' 'With all my heart,' said he, 
' I forgive it you, for ye did no thing but as ye should do, for all 
your evil words pleased me, and damosel,' said Beaumains, ' since 
it liketh you to say thus fair unto me, wit ye well it gladdeth my 
heart greatly, and now me seemeth there is no knight living but I 
am able enough for him.' " 

1155. Hern: heron. 

" The heron, which is gregarious in nesting, usually seeks its 
food alone, and stands for many hours on the brink of a pool, 
often resting upon one leg only, waiting for its prey. It feeds 
especially in the early morning and late evening. In this passage the 
heron seems to be pictured as standing alone throughout the day, 
till at evening he takes flight to a distant pool to seek his food ; 
and Tennyson is so accurate an observer that we may generally 
accept his descriptions as true to nature." — G. C. Macaulay. 



220 GAiiEfH And lynette 

1163. Coitib : the head of a valley ; a Celtic word still in use ill 
Devonshire and elsewhere in England. 
1167. The war of Time against the soul of man. 

" The Soul in its journey through Time, is assailed by all the 
powers of Sense, by the temptations of the flesh in youth, by the 
allurements of pride in middle age, and in old age by the vicious 
habits engendered by the past indulgence of both. Pursued by the 
powers of evil, the Soul tlies for help and shelter to the hermit's 
cave, Avhere alone she finds succor against her foes. The truth 
shines through the allegory. It is in the spiritual life that the 
Soul finds consolation and strength to battle against the powers 
that would destroy her. Lynette says that the four knights — 
fools, she calls them — against whom Gareth has undertaken the 
quest, have sucked their allegory from the sculpture on the walls 
of the hermit's cave. Lynette, still looking with the eyes of the 
world, sees only a fool's allegory in the conduct of the four knights 
Who guard the passes of the river and hold the Lady Lyonors pris- 
oner. But it is the figure of the actual warfare which Sense wages 
against Soul. Just as Lynette fails to recognize the true nobility 
of Gareth under his humble garb of scullion, and only admits it 
after the success of his arms forces her to bow to established merit, 
so now she sees only the exterior fashion of the truth. It is a fool's 
allegory, after all. The world is blind to the warfare waged by the 
powers of Sense against the Soul." — Fallen. 

1169. yon four fools. 

" The most obvious external difference between the two allego- 
ries is that there are five sculptured figures but only four knights, 
the hermit having distinguished between Nox and Mors, while with 
the brethren they are combined. At first the latter arrangement 
seems the more appropriate. If the Morning Star, the Noon Sun, 
and the Evening Star respectively represent Youth, Manhood, and 
Age, with the various impulses characteristic of each, on the same 
analogy Night should stand for Death with its terrors and pains. 
I would suggest that it does so even with the hermit, but that he 
means by it the death of the body; and adds as the last enemy of 
the soul the spiritual death which he emphatically describes as 
Mors." — M. W. Maccallum, Tennyson^s Idylls of the King. 



NOTES 221 

1172-1173. 

"The Latin words carven on the crag are like those that the 
vexillary or standard bearer of the august second legion has left 
cut upon a cliff that overhangs the river Gilt, a small stream near 
Brampton in Cumberland. The carving is deeply chiselled upon a 
iiard scar, and is as follows : — 

*VEXL. LEG. II. AVG.'" 

— LiTTLEDALE. 

1198. blew your boast. The wording is Malory's (VII. 11) : 
" ' Fie, fie ! ' said the damosel. ' That ever such a stinking knave 
should blow such a boast ! ' " 

1228. Cf. Chaucer: " The wrastling of this world asketh a fall." 

— Flee from the Press. 
1281. Arthur's harp : — 

" ' Dost thou know the star 
"We call the Harp of Arthur up in heaven ? ' 
And Tristi-am, ' Ay, Sir Fool, for when our King 
Was victor wellnigh day by day, the knights, 
Glorying in each new glory, set his name 
High on all hills, and in the signs of heaven.' " 

The Last Tournament, 331-336. 

Cf. The Holy Grail, 681-684, and Introduction, p. 24. 

1314. clevisiugs: devices, resorts of skill in face of superior 
strength. In Le Morte Darthur (VII. 17) the Red Knight of the 
Red Lands proved to be " a wily knight of war, and his wily fight- 
ing taught Sir Beaumains to be wise, but he bought it full sore 
or he did espy his fighting." 

1318. fineness: like the French /nesse. 

instant : earnest and pressing. 

1385. "So the spiritual man who has overcome Pleasure, Ambi- 
tion, and their ill uses, by that same strength overthrows Death. 
The ghastly imageries of Death do not appal him, for death has 
fears for him only who has misused life. The powers of Sense had 
hoped to hold the Soul, whom Lady Lyonors here symbolizes, pris- 
oner against the coming of the spiritual man. They never dreamed 



222 GARETH AND LYNETTE 

the passes would be passed. If the powers of Sense be suffered to 
usurp all the uses of life the Soul is held in bondage, and Death 
rides triumphant in all the ghastly imageries of that which Life 
has done with. It is the knightly quest of the spiritual man to 
combat and overcome these evil powers. Victory over them 
makes victory over Death easy. So is Death stripped of all its 
terrors, and only dreadful in the foolish fears of the slaves of 
Sense." — Fallen. 

1391. " A happier day and a new life rise for the soul upon the 
victory of the spiritual man. Freed from the despotism of Sense 
and the terror of Death the new order is established and the King 
reigns." — Fallen. 

1393. wedded. And this is the sort of wedding feast that people 
held in the Goldea Age of King Arthur : — 

" The Archbishop of Canterbury, who had come to court, con- 
ferred the benediction; in all that land no minstrel, able to make 
any entertainment, but was present at the wedding. There was 
dancing and tumbling, singing of songs and telling of tales, music 
of harp and viol, flute and bagpipe ; maids danced and sang, and 
did their best to make merry ; no art that causeth gladness, and 
rejoiceth the heart of man, but might be heard on that day. No 
door was barred, but all approaches open; turned away were 
neither rich nor poor. King Arthur enjoined on his cooks and 
butlers that in plenty should they furnish bread, wine, and veni- 
son ; no man called for aught, that he obtained not in abundance." 

— Newell, I. 3&-37. 



LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

This idyll, the most purely romantic of the twelve, is taken 
direct from Malory's Le Morte Darthur, XVIII. 8-20. It is of 
interest to compare the version given in Le Morte Arthur (lines 
1-1181), an English metrical romance of perhaps the early fifteenth 
century, edited by Dr. Furuivall in 1861: (London, Macmillan). 

1-2. The name Elaine, a Celtic form of Helen, is given by INIalory, 
Who calls the maiden the \\Tiite Elaine, "Elaine le Blank," ren- 



NOTES 223 

dered by Tennyson as the Lily Maid. There is another Elaine in 
the romances, daughter of King Pelles, and mother of Galahad, 
whose father was Lancelot. Tennyson's early lyric, The Lady of 
Shalott, should be read in connection with this opening picture of 
Elaine in her tower chamber. The only hint for this picture given 
by Malory is in the words (XVIIL 14) spoken to Gawain in refer- 
ence to Lancelot's shield. " 'Sir,' said she, 'it is in my chamber 
covered with a case.' " Astolat is identified by Malory with Guild- 
ford in Surrey, an ancient town mentioned in King Alfred's will. 
Compare Rhys {The Arthurian Legend, 150): "Malory's Asto- 
lat is otherwise called Escalot, a name which cannot be overlooked 
as identical with that of Shalott, borne by an islet moored by lilies 
in the river flowing down to Camelot." 

4. Lancelot. For the part played by Lancelot in the Arthurian 
legend, see Introduction, pp. 35-39. His later history, as given by 
Malory, is summarized in the Note on 140&-1416. 

8. braided: embroidered. 

9. the devices blazon'd. See Gareth and Lynette, 571, Note. 

10. tinct: colours. 

22. Caerlyle : Carlyle in Cumberland. 

23. Caerleon: Caerleon-upon-Usk in South Wales, sometimes 
spoken of as Arthur's capital. The ninth of his twelve battles 
was fought here. Cf. The Marriage of Geraint, 145-1-16. And see 
29G-298 below, 

Camelot: See Gareth and Lynette, 185, Note. 

28. The poem now makes a gradual transition to the love of 
Lancelot and Guinevere. Tennyson's lyrical fragment of that 
title should be read as prelude and contrasted, in the note it 
strikes, with The Lady of Shalott. Malory tells the tale as fol- 
lows (XVIIL 8-9) : — 

"Thus it passed on till Our Lady Day, Assumption. Within a 
fifteen days of that feast the King let cry a great joust and a tour- 
nament that should be at that day at Camelot, that is Winchester. 
And the King let cry that he and the King of Scots would joust 
against all that would come against them. And when this cry was 
made, thither came many knights. . . . So King Arthur made him 
ready to depart to these jousts and would have had the Queen wnth 



224 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

him ; but at that time she would not, she said, for she was sick, and 
miglit not ride at that time. ' That me repenteth/ said the King-, 
' for this seven years ye saw not such a noble fellowship together, 
except at Whitsuntide when Galahad departed from the court.' 
' Truly,' said the Queen to the King, ' ye must hold me excused. I 
may not be there, and that me repenteth.' And many deemed the 
Queen would not be there because of Sir Lancelot du Lac, for Sir 
Lancelot would not ride with the King; for he said he was not 
whole of the wound which Sir Mador had given him. Wherefor 
the King was heavy and wroth, and so he departed toward Win- 
chester with his fellowship. And so by the way the King lodged 
in a town called Astolat that is now in English called Guildford, 
and there the King lay in the castle. So when the King was de- 
parted, the Queen called Sir Lancelot to her, and said thus: 'Sir 
Lancelot, ye are greatly to blame thus to hold you behind my lord. 
What trow ye, what will your enemies and mine say and deem? 
nought else but, " See how Sir Lancelot holdeth him ever behind 
the King, and so doth the Queen, for that they would have their 
pleasure together; " and thus will they say,' said the Queen to Sir 
Lancelot, 'have ye no doubt thereof.' 'Madame,' said Sir Lance- 
lot, ' I allow your wit, it is of late come since ye were wise. And 
therefore, Madame, at this time I will be ruled by your counsel,, 
and this night I will take ray rest, and to-morrow betimes I will, 
take my way toward Winchester.' " 

31. the diamond jousts. The suggestion of diamond joustsi 
Tennyson appears to take from Malory's account (XVIIL 20-21) of.' 
the events of the winter just following the death of Elaine: — 

" So thus passed on all that winter with all manner of hunting and 
hawking, and jousts and tourneys were many betwixt many great 
lords, and ever in all places Sir Lavaine gat great worship, so that. 
he was nobly renowned among many knights of the Table Round. 

" Thus it passed on till Christmas : and then every day there were 
jousts made for a diamond, that whosoever jousted best should 
have a diamond. But Sir Lancelot would not joust, but if it were 
at a great jousts cried. But Sir Lavaine jousted there all that 
Christmas passing well, and best was praised, for there were but 
few that did so well ; wherefore all manner of knights deemed that 



NOTES 225 

Sir Lavaine should be made knight of the Table Round at the next 
feast of Pentecost. So after Christmas King Arthur let call unto 
liim many knights, and there they advised together to make a party 
and a great tournament and jousts. . . . And the cry was made 
that the day of the jousts should be beside Westminster upon Can- 
dlemas day, whereof many knights were glad, and made them 
ready to be at that jousts in the freshest manner. Then Queen 
Guinevere sent for Sir Lancelot, and said thus : ' I warn you that 
ye ride no more in no jousts nor tournamentvS but that your kins- 
men may know you. And at these jousts that shall be ye shall have 
of me a sleeve of gold, and I pray you for my sake enforce yourself 
there that men may speak of j'ou worship. But I charge you, as 
ye will have my love, that ye warn your kinsmen that ye will bear 
that day the sleeve of gold upon your helmet.' 'Madame,' said 
Sir Lancelot, ' it shall be done ; ' and so either made great joy of 
other." 

35. Lyonesse : supposed to have been a region south and west 
of Cornwall, now submerged, only the Scilly Isles remaining above 
water. 

36. tarn. See Gareth and Lynette, 489. Xote. 

37. A horror lived about the tarn. Cf. Tennyson's Maud, 
I. 1-2. 

39. This legend of the brothers is not found in Le Morte Darthur. 
53. shingly scaur : pebbly cliff. 
65. The heathen : the Saxons, — 

" the heathen of the Northern Sea." 

Gemini and Enid, 968. 

76. let proclaim a joust. According to the English metrical 
romance, it was Guinevere that incited Arthur to hold a tourna- 
ment, that his court might not fall off in honour. 

106. myriad cricket. So in Enoch Arden, 579 : — 

" The mj-riad shriek of wheeUng ocean-fowl." 

110. my loyal worship. Cf . Merlin and Vivien, 8-16. 
121. the faultless King. Arthur Waugh {Alfred Lord Tenmj- 
son, 132) says of Ai-thur: " He stands as a great, luminous back- 



226 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

ground to the story of his knights ; as a wide, bright sky that 
shows up against the breadth and brilliance of its purity the 
darker shadows that move before it." 

129. his Table Round. See Gareth and LyneUe,610, Note. 

133-134. Cf . the garden scene in Balm and Balan, 235-275, where 
Lancelot is still struggling to be truly loyal. 

158. Malory continues .the story (XVIII. 9) as follows : — 

" And so upon the morn early Sir Lancelot heard mass, and brake 
his fast, and so took his leave of the Queen, and departed. And 
then he rode so much until he came to Astolat, that is Guildford, 
and there it happened him in the eventide he came to an old baron's 
place, that hight Sir Bernard of Astolat. ... So when Sir Lancelot 
was in his lodging, and unarmed him in his chamber, the old baron 
and hermit came to him making his reverence, and welcomed him in 
the best manner, but the old knight knew not Lancelot. ' Fair Sir,' 
said Sir Lancelot to his host, ' I would pray you to lend me a shield 
that were not openly known, for mine is well known.' ' Sir,' said 
his host, ' ye shall have your desire, for me seemeth ye be one of 
the likeliest knights of the world, and therefore 1 shall show you 
friendship. Sir, wit you well I have two sons that were but late 
made knights, and the eldest hight Sir Tirre, and he was hurt the 
same day he was made knight that he may not ride, and his shield 
ye shall have ; for that is not known, I dare say, but here and no 
place else. And my youngest son hight Lavaine, and if it please 
you he shall ride with you unto that jousts, and he is of his age ten, 
strong and mighty; for much my heart giveth unto you that ye 
should be a noble knight, therefore I pray you tell me your name,' 
said Sir Bernard. 'As for that,' said Sir Lancelot, * ye must hold 
me excused as at this time, and if God give me grace to speed well 
at the jousts, I shall come again and tell you, but I pray you,' said 
Sir Lancelot, ' in any wise let me have your son Sir Lavaine with me, 
and that I may have his brother's shield.' ' All this shall be done,' 
said Sir Bernard. 

"This old baron had a daughter that time that was called 
the Fair Maiden of Astolat. And ever she beheld Sir Lancelot 
wonderfully. And as the book saith, she cast such a love unto Sir 
Lancelot that she could never withdraw her, love; wherefore she 



NOTES 227 

died, and her name was Elaine le Blank. So thus as she came to 
and fro, she was so hot in her love that she besought Sir Lancelot 
to wear upon him at the jousts a token of hers. ' Fair damosel,' 
said Sir Lancelot, ' and if I grant you that, ye may say I do more 
for your love than ever I did for lady or damosel.' Then he remem- 
bered him that he would go to the jousts disguised; and by cause 
he had never before that time borne no manner of token of no 
damosel, then he bethought him that he would bear one of her 
that none of his blood might know him. And then he said, ' Fair 
maiden, I will grant you to wear a token of yours upon my helmet, 
and therefore what it is show it me.' ' Sir,' she said, ' it is a red 
sleeve of mine, of scarlet well embroidered with great pearls ; ' and 
so she brought it him. So Sir Lancelot received it and said, ' Never 
did I^erst so much for no damosel.' And then Sir Lancelot betook 
the fair maiden his shield in keeping, and prayed her to keep that 
until that he came again. And so that night he had merry rest 
and great cheer, for ever the damosel Elaine was about Sir Lance- 
lot, all the while she might be suffered." 

162. downs: dunes; rounded hills. Cf. 784. 

166. the Cattle of Astolat. According to Malory, King Arthur 
saw Lancelot enter the castle and recognized him, glad to think the 
jousting would be the better for his presence. But when the knights 
with King Arthur asked him who it was that he had seen, " the 
King smiled and went to his lodging." In the English metrical 
romance, Lancelot, mounted on a gray steed that Arthur had given 
him, rode, for disguise, with stooped shoulders, so that he was 
taken for "some old knight," come "to see the young knights 
ride " ; but as his horse stumbled, he straightened himself up, and 
King x\rthur knew him for Lancelot du Lac. Lancelot chose to 
have his lodgings with an earl known as the Lord of Ascolot, whose 
daughter was "red as blossom on briar." She loved Lancelot so 
that she could do little but weep, and he strove to comfort her, well 
understanding her trouble from past experience. 

168-174. The old romances give many pleasant instances of the 
mediaeval grace of hospitality. In the tale told by Heinrich von 
dem Tiirlin, for instance, of Gaioabi at the Grail Castle (Weston), 
it is related how Gawain and Lancelot and one other had been long 



228 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

upon the road and " were sore a-hungered ; sudden they saw before 
them a castle, fair to look upon, and they deemed they should find 
a goodly lodging therein. Without, on a meadow, was a great com- 
pany of knights, who vied with each other in skilful horsemanship,, 
as knights are wont to do. Without spear or shield, in courteous, 
wise they rode hither and thither on the open field ; but when the 
three had come so near that they took knowledge of them, tliat 
noble folk left their sport and rode swift as flight over the meadow 
toward the road, and received the guests with gentle greeting, as is 
love's custom, bidding them welcome to their lord's land." Nor 
was the guest deficient in the corresponding grace of gratitude. 
When Gawain left the castle of the Green Knight (Weston, 74-75), he 
quoth : " ' I commend this castle to Christ, may He give it ever 
good fortune.' Then the drawbridge was let down, and the broad 
gates unbarred and opened on both sides ; the knight crossed him- 
self, and passed through the gateway, and praised the porter, who 
knelt before the prince, and gave him good-day, and commended 
him to God." 

180-181. by what name 

Livest between the lips. 

A Virgilian phrase. — JEneid, XII. 235. 

244-245. So would Tristan "turn his heart, fighting against his 
own will, and desiring against his own desire. He would and would 
not, and, a prisoner, struggled in his fetters. There was a strife 
within him for ever as he looked on Iseult, and love stirred his 
heart and soul, then did honour draw him back. Yet he must needs 
follow Love, for his liege lady was she, and in sooth she wounded 
him more sorely than did his honour and faith to his uncle, though 
they strove hard for the mastery. " — Gottfried's Tristan and Iseult 
(Weston, II. 10-11). 

246. Had raarr'd his face. Cf. Milton's Paradise Lost, I. 

699-^02: — 

" Darkened so, yet shone 
Above them all the Archangel ; but his face 
Deep scars of thunder had intrench'd, and carQ 
Sat on his faded cheek." 



NOTES 229 

249-252. Cf . Shakespeare : — 

" Only my plague thus far I count my gain, 
That she that makes me sin awards me pain." 

Sonnet CXLI, 13-14. 

260. the darling of the court. Cf. Balm and Balan, 154-160. 

265-266. The romance of Erec and Enide has a companion picture 
of mediaeval hospitality under still simpler conditions. 

'' Erec dismounted while the master of the house took the rein, 
and led in the Jiorse, to honor his guest. He summoned his wife 
and fair daughter, who were busy in a work-room ; what they were 
doing, the tale sayeth not. The lady issued, followed by the maid ; 
. . . the gown was so old that it was pieced at the sides ; without 
the dress was poor, but -wathin the life was fair; gentle was the 
girl; . . . her brow was whiter than the lily-flower; . . . her eyes 
shone like twin stars. . . . When she set eyes on the knight, she 
started, because he was a stranger; this made her ashamed, and 
she blushed ; Erec, on his part, was abashed at the view of so great 
beauty. . . . The girl took the steed, unlaced the breast-plate, and 
undid saddle and bridle ; she put a halter on his head and groomed 
him ; she brought him to the crib, and set before him hay and oats, 
fresh and sweet ; after that she returned to her father who said : 
'Fair dear child, take this lord by the hand, do him honor, and 
lead him up.' The maid did not hesitate, for she was well-bred ; 
she took Erec's hand and guided him to the hall, whither her mother 
had already gone to tapestry the benches, where they seated them- 
selves, Erec and his host on one side, and the maiden on the other; 
in front burned a bright fire." — Newell, I. 10-11. 

266. minstrel melody. This mediaeval Land of Romance was 
iskilled in " diverse minstrelsy, trump, pipe and clarinet ; harp, lute 
:and guitar; eithole and psaltery." — Sir Clec/es (Weston, 6). 

269. glanced at : incidentally mentioned. 

281-282. all the sweet and sudden passion of youth 

To^vard greatness in its elder. 
Cf. Browning's A Blot in the 'Scutcheon, III. 1 : — 

" Why, 'twas my very fear of you, my love 
Of you — (what passion like a boy's for one 



230 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

Like you ?) — that ruined me ! I dreamed of you — 
Tou, all accomplished, courted everywhere, 
The scholar and the gentleman. I burned 
To knit myself to you ; but I was young, 
And your surpassing reputation kept me 
So far aloof ! Oh, wherefore all that love ? " 

284-309. For Arthur's wars, see Introduction, pp. 21-22. 

The eleventh battle, " on the mountain Breguoin, which we call 
Cat Bregion," is the one described here as " up in Agned-Cathrego- 
nian." It is of interest to note how poetic imagination has vivified 
and glorified the old historian's list of battles. 

292-295. " Tennyson seems to have been thinking of the famous 
'Russian emerald,' said to have been sent originally by Pilate to 
Tiberius. It is supposed to have the head of Christ carved upon it." 

— LiTTLEDALE. 

Cf. the description of Spenser's King Arthur {Faery Queen, I. 
VII. 29-31) : — 

" At last she chaunced by good hap to meet 
A goodly knight, faire marching by the way, 
Together with his squyre, arrayed meet: 
His glitterand armour shined far away, 
Like glauncing light of Phoebus brightest ray ; 
From top to toe no place appeared bare, 
That deadly dint of Steele endanger may : 
Athwart his brest a bauldrick brave he ware, 
That shined, like t^vlnkling stars, with stones most pretious rare : 

And, in the midst thereof, one pretious stone 
Of wondrous worth, and eke of wondrous mights, 
Shapt like a ladies head, exceeding shone, 
Like Hesperus emongst the lesser hghts. 
And strove for to amaze the weaker sights : 
Thereby his mortall blade full comely hong 
In yvory sheath, j'carv'd with curjous slights, 
"Whose hilts were burnisht gold ; and handle strong 
Of mother perle ; and buckled with a golden tong. 

His haughtie helmet, horrid all with gold. 

Both glorious brightnesse and great terrour bredd : 

For all the crest a di-agon did enfold 



NOTES 231 

With greedie pawes, and over all did spredd 
His golden winges ; his dreadfuU hideous hedd, 
Close couched on the bever, seemed to throw 
From flaming- mouth bright sparckles fiery redd, 
That suddeine horrour to faint hartes did show ; 
And scaly tayle was stretcht adowne his back full low." 

297. the wild white Horse. The arms of Hengist, the Saxon 
leader, were a leaping white horse in a red field. So the Saxons 
are spoken of in Guinevere (15-16) as 

" the Lords of the "White Horse, 
Heathen, the brood by Hengist left." 

In The Holy Grail, too, is a reference (311-312) to those knights 
who 

" in twelve great battles splash'd and dyed 
The strong "White Horse in his own heathen blood." 

Miss Jewett cites, in her edition of The Holy Grail, the follow- 
ing:— 

"Tacitus tells us that the Germans kept sacred white horses, at 
the public expense, in the groves and woods of the gods, and that 
from their neighings and snortings auguries were taken. Among 
the people of the northern marshlands, the white horse seems to 
have been held in especial honor, and to this day a white horse 
rampant forms the cognizance of Hanover and Brunswick. The 
English settlers brought this, their national emblem, with them to 
Britain, and cut its figure on the chalk downs as they advanced 
westward, to mark the progress of their conquest. The white 
horses on the Berkshire and Wiltshire hills still bear witness to 
their settlement. A white horse is even now the symbol of Kent." 
— Grant Allen, Anglo-Saxon Britain, pp. 27-28. 

The tradition ran that when the Saxons were hard pressed in 
battle, their war-god would be seen at their head, upon a white 
horse, rallying their forces. 

309-316. Cf. Gareth and Lynette, 485-486, and refer to lines 
153-157 above. 

The jousting, however, was essentially a game, not much rougher 



232 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

nor more dangerous than football, and the knights usually took the 
mischances of a tilt as matter for mirth. 

" And Libeaus hit Sir Lombard on the helmet so that the fasten- 
ings broke, and helmet, vintail, and gorget flew afar into the field, 
and Lombard, upright in his saddle, rocked even as a child without 
might in the cradle. And each man who saw it took the other by 
the sleeve and laughed and clapped their hands, barons, burghers 
and knights." — Sir Libeaus Disconus (Weston, 58). 

338. rathe : early. So Milton speaks {Lycidas, li-) of " the 
rathe primrose." 

345-3i(j. The knights of the romances were on friendly terms with 
their horses. We hear most of (lawain's Gringalet, " girt with a 
saddle that gleamed gaily with many golden fringes, enriched and 
decked anew for the venture. The bridle was all barred about with 
bright gold buttons, and all the covertures and trappings of the 
steed, the crupper and the rich skirts, accorded with the saddle ; 
spread fair with the rich red gold that glittered and gleamed in the 
rays of the sun." — Sir Gaioain and the Green Knight (Weston, 23). 
Once mounted on Gringalet, Sir Gawain might "fear no foe; the 
steed was so strong and so great, and even as his lord had need 
would the horse watch and follow every sign that he might give." 
— Morien (Weston, GO). Once after sore defeat and grievous hurts, 
Sir Gawain, when he found Gringalet safe, " was fain to forget all 
his pain. He arose from where he sat, and went towards his steed, 
and as he looked upon him his heart rose high within him, and 
he deemed that he was well-nigh healed. And even as he came 
Gringalet knew his lord, nor would flee from him, but came towards 
him, and for very friendship seized him with his teeth." — Morten, 
(Weston, 90). 

370-371. A red sleeve 

Broider'd with pearls. 

In Crestien's pleasant tale of Tha Maid toith the Narrow Sleeves 
(Newell, II. 101-118), the little girl who wishes Gawain to be her 
knight is troubled because her sleeves, being small and tight, are 
not fit to serve for favours ; but her father, indulging the child, 
" had brought from his chests a piece of red somite, and bade his 



NOTES 233 

Deopie cut out and make a sleeve, wide and long. . , . With that 
her father went his way, while she, in great glee, charged her com- 
panions that they would not let her oversleep, hut would wake her 
when day hroke, if they would have her love them. They did her 
will, and when it dawned caused her to wake and dress ; all alone, 
she went to the house where lodged Sir Gawain ; but early as it 
was, the knight had risen, and resorted to the monastery, to hear 
mass sung. She waited until they had offered long orisons, and 
listened to the service, as much as was right. AVhen they returned, 
the child rose to receive Sir Gawain, and cried: ' Sir, on this day 
may God save and honor you! For love of me, wear the sleeve 
which I carry in my hand?' 'With pleasure,' he answered; 
' friend, your mercy! ' " 

The tale of The Little Maid with the Narrow Sleeves is related 
:again in AYolfrara von Eschenhach's Parzival, Book VII, where the 
child's name is given as Obilot. 
377. Cf. Gareth and Lynette, 395-409. 
397. Malory goes on with the romance (XVIII. 10-13) : — 
"So upon a day on the morn, King Arthur and all his knights 
departed, for their king had tarried three days to abide his noble 
knights. And so when the king was ridden, Sir Lancelot and Sir 
Lavaine made them ready to ride, and either of them had white 
shields, and the red sleeve Sir Lancelot let carry with him. And 
so they took their leave at Sir Bernard the old baron, and at his 
daughter the Fair Maiden of Astolat. And then they rode so long 
till that they came to Camelot, that time called 'Winchester. And 
there Avas great press of kings, dukes, earls, and barons, and many 
noble knights. But there Sir Lancelot was lodged privily, by means 
of Sir Lavaine, with a I'ich burgess, that no man in that town was 
ware what they were, and so they reposed them there till Our Lady 
Day, Assumjition, as the great feast should be. 

" So then trumpets blew unto the field, and King Arthur was set 
high upon a scaffold to behold who did best. But, as the French 
hook saith, the King would not suffer Sir Gawain to go from him, 
for never had Gawain the better an Sir Lancelot were in the field. 
. . . Then Sir Lancelot made him ready, and put the red sleeve 
upon his head, and fastened it fast; and so Sir Lancelot and Sir 



234 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

Lavaine departed out of Winchester privily, and rode unto a little 
leaved wood, behind the party that held against King Arthur's 
party, and there they held them still till the parties smote to- 
gether. . . . 

" ' Now,' said Sir Lancelot, ' an ye will help me a little, ye shall 
see yonder fellowship that chaseth now these men on our side, that 
they shall go as fast backward as they went forward.' 'Sir, spare 
not,' said Sir Lavaine, ' for I shall do what I may.' Then Sir Lance- 
lot and Sir Lavaine came in at the thickest of the iDress, and there 
Sir Lancelot smote down Sir Brandiles, Sir Sagramore, Sir Dodinas, 
Sir Kay, Sir Griflet, and all this he did with one spear. . . , And 
then Sir Lancelot drew his sword. . . . And then the knights of 
the Table Round withdrew them aback, after they had gotten their 
horses as well as they might. ' O mercy, Jesu,' said Sir Gawain, 
' what knight is yonder, that doth so marvellous deeds of arms in 
that field ? ' 'I wot what he is,' said King Arthur, ' but as at this 
time I will not name him.' ' Sir,' said Sir Gawain, ' I would say it 
were Sir Lancelot by his riding and his buffets that I see him deal ; 
but ever me seemeth it should not be he, for that he beareth the 
red sleeve upon his head, for I wist him never bear token at no 
jousts of lady nor gentlewoman.' ' Let him be,' said King Arthur, 
'he will be better kn^wu and do more or ever he depart.' Then 
the party that was against King Arthur were well comforted, and 
then they held them together that beforehand were sore rebuked. 
Then Sir Bors, Sir Ector de Maris, and Sir Lionel called unto them 
the knights of their blood. ... So these nine knights of Sir Lance- 
lot's kin thrust in mightily, for they were all noble knights ; and 
they, of great hate and despite that they had unto him, thought to 
rebuke that noble knight Sir Lancelot, and Sir Lavaine, for they 
knew them not. And so they came hurtling together and smote 
down many knights of Northgalis and Northumberland. And when 
Sir Lancelot saw them fare so, he gat a spear in his hand, and there 
encountered with him all at once Sir Bors, Sir Ector, and Sir Lionel, 
and all they three smote him at once with their spears. And with 
force of themselves they smote Sir Lancelot's horse to the earth, 
and by misfortune Sir Bors smote Sir Lancelot through the shield 
into the side, and the spear brake, and the head left still in his 



NOTES 235 

side. When Sir Lavaine saw his master lie on the ground, he ran 
to the King of Scots and smote liim to the eartli, and by great force 
he took his horse and brought him to Sir Lancelot, and malgre' 
[despite of] them all he made him to mount upon that horse ; and 
then Lancelot gat a spear in his hand, and there he smote Sir Bors, 
horse and man, to the earth. In t^e same wise he served Sir Ector 
and Sir Lionel, and Sir Lavaine smote down Sir Blamore de Ganis. 
And then Sir Lancelot drew his sword, for he felt himself so sore 
hurt that he weened there to have had his death. . . . And by this was 
Sir Bors horsed, and then he came with Sir Ector and Sir Lionel, 
and all they three smote with swords upon Sir Lancelot's helmet. 
And when he felt their buffets and his wound, the which was so 
grievous, then he thought to do what he might while he might en- 
dure. And then he gave Sir Bors such a buffet that he made him 
bow his head passing low, and therewithal he razed his helm, and 
might have slain him, and so pulled him down, and in the same 
wise he served Sir Ector and Sir Lionel. For, as the book saith, 
he might have slain them, but when he saw their visages his heart 
might not serve him. thereto, but left them there. 

" And then afterward he hurled into the thickest press of them 
all, and did there marvellous deeds of arms that ever man saw or 
heard speak of; and ever Sir Lavaine the good knight with him. 
And there Sir Lancelot with his sword smote down and pulled down, 
as the French book maketh mention, more than thirty knights, and 
the most party were of the Table Round. And Sir Lavaine did full 
well that day, for he smote down ten knights of the Table Round. 

'"Mercy, Jesu,' said Sir Gawain to Arthur, 'I marvel what 
knight that he is with the red sleeve.' 'Sir,' said King Arthur, 
'he will be known or he depart.' And then the king blew unto 
lodging, and the prize was given by heralds imto the knight with 
the white shield, that bare the red sleeve. ... ' My fair lords,' 
said Sir Lancelot, . . . ' I take none force [heed] of none honor, 
for I had liever to repose me than to be lord of all the world.' 
And therewithal he groaned piteously, and rode a great wallop 
away from them, until he came under a wood's side. And when 
he saw that he was from the field nigh a mile, that he was sure 
he might not be seen, then he said with an high voice, ' O gentle 



236 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

knight, Sir Lavaine, help me that this truncheon were out of my 
side, for it sticketh so sore that it nigh slayeth me.' ' O mine own 
lord/ said Sir Lavaine, ' I would fain do that might please you, but 
I dread me sore, an I pull out the truncheon, that ye shall be in 
peril of death.' ' I charge you,' said Sir Lancelot, ' as ye love me, 
draw it out.' And therewithal he descended from his horse and 
right so did Sir Lavaine, and forthwithal Sir Lavahie drew the 
truncheon out of his side ; and he gave a great shriek and a mar- 
vellous grisly groan, and the blood burst out nigh a pint at (mce, 
that at the last he sank down and so swooned pale and deadly. 
' Alas,' said Sir Lavaine, ' what shall I do?' And then he turned 
Sir Lancelot into the wind, but so he lay there nigh half an hour 
as he had been dead. . . . And then with great pain Sir Lavaine 
helped him upon his horse; and then they rode a great wallop 
together, and ever Sir Lancelot bled that it ran down to the earth. 
And so by fortune they came to that hermitage, the which was 
under a wood, and a great cliff on the other side, and a fair water 
running under it. And then Sir Lavaine beat on the gate with the 
butt of his spear, and cried fast, ' Let in for Jesu's sake.' . . . 
Then the hermit . . . saw by a wound on his cheek that he was 
Sir Lancelot. ' Alas,' said the hermit, * mine own lord, why layne 
[hide] you your name from me ? For sooth I ought to know you 
of right, for ye are the most noblest knight of the world, for well I 
know you for Sir Lancelot.' 'Sir,' said he, 'since ye know me, 
help me an ye may for God's sake ; for I would be out of this pain 
at once either to death or to life.' 'Have ye no doubt,' said the 
hermit, 'ye shall live and fare right well.' And so the hermit 
called to him two of his servants; and so he and his servants bare 
him into the hermitage, and lightly unarmed him and laid him iu 
his bed. And then anon the hermit staunched his blood, and made 
him to drink good wine, so that Sir Lancelot was well refreshed 
and knew himself. For in those days it was not the guise of her- 
mits as is now-a-days. For there were none hermitfi in those 
days but that had been men of worship and of prowess, and those 
hermits held great households and refreshed people that were in 
distress." 
401. prayM, labour'd and prayM. " Laborare est orare." 



NOTES 237 

410. According to the English metrical romance, they lodged in 
the castle of Lavaine's aunt, a lady of great beauty. 

411. Cf . Gareth and Lyaette, 1386. 

422. The dread Pendragon. See Gareth and Lynette, note 
on 368 (Uther). 

The word Pendragon is said by Layamon — no great scholar ! — to 
mean Dragon's Head (18230). In Le Roman de Merlin Uter has a 
brother named Pendragon. The t^yo brothers fight together against 
the Saxons, and Merlin's promise to Uter that " a red dragon in the 
air, moving between heaven and earth," should appear to him at 
dawn as an omen of victory, is fulfilled ; but although the Britons 
win the field, Pendragon is slain, whereupon Uter takes the name 
of Uter-Pendragon. (Ch. III.) 

"And Merlin made to King Arthur a banner wherein was great 
signification, for therein was a dragon, which he made set on a 
spear, and by semblance he cast out of his mouth fire and flame. 
And he had a great tail and a long. This dragon no man could 
wite [conceive] where Merlin it had, and it was marvellous light 
and movable ; and when it was set on a lance they beheld it for 
great marvel." (Ch. VII.) 

In Arthur's hall might be seen 

"The golden dragon sparkling over all" {The Holy Grail, 263), 
and his tent was marked by 

"The Dragon of the great Pendragonship 
That crowned the state pavilion of the King." 

Guinevere, 395-396. 

Cf. Guinevere, 589-595, for the Queen's last glimpse of Arthur. 
429. a rainbow fall'ii vipon the grass. 

Very gay was the spectacle of a mediaeval tournament. Cf . Cres- 
tien de Troyes' picture in Erec and Enide (Newell, I. 38) of the 
tourney held " in the plain below Tenebroc. On the field might be 
seen many a banner, vermeil and blue and white, many a wimple 
and sleeve given for love ; knights bore lances, rose and silver, 
gold and azure, banded and vair [spotted] ; laced were helmets of 
steel and gold ; green, yellow, and scarlet gleamed in the sun ; in 



238 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

view was many a white hauberk and sword on the left side, many 
a shield fresh and new, of silver, rose and azure, bossed with gold; 
many a steed, chestnut and pied, fawn and white and black and 
bay. With a crash, ranks rushed together; lances were shivered 
and shields pierced, mail gave and parted, knights fell and horses 
foamed." 

431. samite : a rich silken fabric interwoven with gold and silver 
thread. 

444-447. Cf. Mrs. Browning {Gasa Guicli Windows,!) on the 
surpassing of the Florentine artist Cimabue by his pupil Giotto : — 

" Yet rightly was young Giotto talked about, 
Whom Cimabue found among the sheep, 
And knew, as gods know gods, and carried home 
To paint the things he had painted, with a deep 
And fuller insight, and so overcome 
His chapel-lady -with a heavenlier sweep 
Of light. For thus we mount into the sum 
Of great things known or acted. I hold, too, 
That Cimabue smiled upon the lad. 
At the first stroke which passed what he could do, 
Or else his Virgin's smile had never had 
Such sweetness in 't. All great men Avho foreknew 
Their heirs in art, for art's sake have been glad, 
And bent their old white heads as if uncrowned, 
Fanatics of their pure ideals still 
Far more than of their triumphs." 

447-449. and in me there dwells 

No greatness, save it be some far-off toucli 
Of greatness to know well I am not great. 

Collins compares the words of Socrates in Plato's Apologij, IX: 
"That man is the wisest who knows that he is in reality of no 
worth at all with respect to wisdom." 

Lancelot is, to the end, unconquerable on the field of battle, but 
in certain adventures that demand a perfect purity, like the draw- 
ing of the sword from the great stone that floated on the river, he 
must yield to Galahad his son, who thenceforth ranks above him. 



NO TES 239 

"Therewith the King and all espied where came riding down the 
river a lady on a white palfrey toward them. Then she saluted the 
King and the Queen and asked if Sir Lancelot was there. And then 
he answered himself, ' I am here, fair lady.' Then she said all with 
weeping, ' How your great doing is changed since this day in the 
morn!' 'Damosel, why say ye so?' said Lancelot. 'I say you 
sooth,' said the damosel, ' for ye were this day the best knight of 
the world, but who should say so now he should be a liar, for there 
is now one better than ye.' ... * As touching unto that,' said 
Lancelot, 'I know well I was never the best.' 'Yes,' said the 
damosel, ' that were ye and are yet of any sinful man of the 
world.' " — Malory, XIII. 5. 

450. There is the man. Cf . Guinevere, 640-^45. 

452-453. As Malory describes the tournament, the knights of the 
Round Table were to hold the lists, if they could, against the attack 
of a choice body of kings and " knights adventurous " from foreign 
parts. Yet Malory says that some of the kings. King Anguish of 
Ireland, for example, and the King of Scots, chose to fight with 
Arthur's party. Lancelot waited a little to see which side was the 
weaker, and when the attacking party was beaten back, he joined 
it and wrought wonders, smiting down five knights of the Round 
Table with one spear, while ten-year-old Lavaine smote down two. 
Sir Lucan and Sir Bedivere. Then Lancelot got another spear and 
smote down five more, while Lavaine smote down his third. Then 
Lancelot drew his sword and unhorsed three more, and with that 
the Knights of the Round Table fell back. But the nine knights of 
Lancelot's kin, jealous for Lancelot's fame, led a rally, and the 
three who loved him best, Sir Bors, Sir Ector, and Sir Lionel, bore 
down, by a combined attack, horse and man, and Sir Bors, who 
would have yielded up his life for Lancelot, gave him the wellnigh 
fatal spear-thrust in his side. But Lancelot mounted again, by 
Lavaine's help, and smote down his three dearest kinsmen and 
made havoc among his relations in general, but the three charged 
for him once more, and once more he overthrew them and slashed 
off their helms, but did not slay them, for he had seen their faces. 

The English metrical romance says that the foreign party was the 
larger, but Arthur's was the stronger, because he had the better 



240 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

knights. According to this romance, it was Sir Ector, not Sir Bors, 
that gave Lancelot his wound ; and after the tournament Lancelot 
and Lavaine betook themselves again to the castle of Lavaine's 
aunt, that lady fair and courteous, who sent for leeches. 
4G4. Lancelot's kith and kin. Cf . The ^oly Grail, G48-G49 : — 

" For Lancelot's kith and kin so worship him 
That ill to him is ill to them." 

Lancelot's cousins, Sir Bors and Sir Lionel, and his half-brother, 
Sir Ector, are especially devoted. On one occasion, when Lancelot 
had gone mad because of Guinevere's jealous anger (Le Morte 
Darthur, XL 9), Sir Bors reproached the Queen bitterly: "And 
when she saw Sir Bors she wept as she were wood [mad]. ' Fie on 
your weeping ' said Sir Bors de Ganis ' for ye weep never but when 
there is no boot [use] in it. Alas,' said Sir Bors, 'that ever Sir 
Lancelot's kin saw you, for now have ye lost [ruined] the best knight 
of our blood, and he that was all our leader and our succour, and I 
dare say and make it good that all kings Christian nor heathen may 
not find such a knight, for to speak of his nobleness and courtesj', 
with his beauty and his gentleness. Alas! ' said Sir Bors. ' What 
shall we do that be of his blood ? ' ' Alas ! ' said Ector de Maris. 
' Alas! ' said Lionel." 

476-485. The comparison of a battle onset to a wave overwhelm- 
ing a bark occurs twice in the Iliad (XV. 381-384 and (324), but Ten- 
nyson refers his creation of line 482 to his observation of the waves 
daring a storm in the North Sea. In a letter of 1882 (to Mr. S. E. 
Dawson) the poet wrote : " There was a period of my life when, as 
an artist. Turner for instance, takes rough sketches of landscape, 
etc., in order to work them eventually into some great picture, so I 
was in the habit of chronicling, in four or five words, whatever 
might strike me as picturesque in Nature. I never put these down, 
and many and many a line lias gone away on the north wind, but 
some remain, e. g. . . . in the ' Idylls of the King ' : — 

' With all 
Its stormy crests that smoke against the skies.' " 

Memoir, I. 257. 



NOTES 241 

502-504. Cf . Shakespeare, Richard II, II. iii. 87 : — 

" Grace me no grace nor uncle me no uncle." 

523. Malory goes on with the story (XVIII. 1.3-15) as follows : — 
" Kow turn we unto King Arthur, and leave we Sir Lancelot in 
the hermitage. So when the kings were come together on both 
parties, and the great feast should be holden. King Arthur asked 
the King of Northgalis and their fellowship where was that knight 
that bare the red sleeve. ... ' We suppose that knight is mis- 
chieved, and that he is never like to see you nor none of us all, and 
that is the greatest pity that ever we wist of any knight.' ' Alas,' 
said Arthur, . . . ' Almighty Jesu send me good tidings of him,' 
and so said they all. '.By my head,' said Sir Gawain, ' if it so be 
that good knight be sore hurt, it is great damage and pity to all 
this land, for he is one of the noblest knights that ever I saw in a 
held handle a spear or a sword. And if he may be found, I shall 
find him, for I am sure he is not far from this town.' * Bear you 
well,' said King Arthur, ' an ye may find him, unless that he be in 
such a plight that he may not wield himself.' 'Jesu defend,' said 
Sir Gawain, 'but wot I shall what he is, an I may find him.' 
Right so Sir Gawain took a squire with him, upon hackneys, and 
rode all about Camelot within six or seven miles. But so he came 
again, and could hear no word of him. 

" Then within two days King Arthur and all the fellowship re- 
turned unto Loudon again. And so as they rode by the way it 
happed Sir Gawain at Astolat to lodge with Sir Bernard, there as 
was Sir Lancelot lodged. And so as Sir Gawain was in his chamber 
to repose him. Sir Bernard the old baron came unto him, and his 
daughter Elaine, to cheer him and to ask him what tidings and who 
did best at that tournament of Winchester. ' So me God help,' 
said Sir Gawain, ' there were two knights that bare two white 
shields; but the one of them bare a red sleeve upon his head, and 
certainly he was one of the best knights that ever I saw joust in a 
field. For I dare say,' said Sir Gawain, ' that one knight with the 
red sleeve smote down forty knights of the Table Round, and his 
fellow did right well and worsliipfully.' ' Now blessed be God,' 
said the Fair Maiden of Astolat, ' that that knight sped so well, for 



242 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

he is the man in the world that I first loved, and truly he shall be 
last that ever I shall love.' ' Now, fair maid,' said Sir Gawain, ' is 
that good knight your love?' 'Certainly, sir,' said she, 'wot ye 
well he is ray love.' ' Then know ye his name ? ' said Sir Gawain. 
'Nay, truly,' said the damosel, *I know not his name nor from 
whence he eometh, but to say that I love him, I promise you and 
God that I love him.' ' How had ye knowledge of him first ? ' said 
Sir Gawain. 

"Then she told him as ye have heard heretofore, and how her 
father betook him her brother to do him service, and how her father 
lent him her brother Sir Tirre's shield, ' And here with me he left 
his own shield.' ' For what cause did he so ? ' said Sir Gawain. ' For 
this cause,' said the damosel, ' for his shield was too well known 
among noble knights.' ' Ah, fair damosel,' said Sir Gawain, ' please 
it you let me have a sight of that shield.' ' Sir,' said she, ' it is in 
my chamber covered with a case, and if ye will come with me, ye 
shall see it.' ' Not so,' said Sir Bernard to his daughter, ' let send 
for it.' So when the shield was come, Sir Gawain took off the 
case ; and when he beheld that shield he knew anon that it was Sir 
Lancelot's shield and his own arms. 'Ah, Jesu mercy,' said Sir 
Gawain, ' now is my heart more heavier than ever it was before.' 
'Why?' said Elaine. 'For I have great cause,' said Sir Gawain. 
' Is that knight that owneth this shield your love?' 'Yea, truly,' 
said she, ' my love he is ; God would I were his love ! ' 'So God me 
speed,' said Sir Gawain, 'fair damosel, ye have right, for an he be 
your love, ye love the most honorable knight of the world, and the 
man of most worship.' ' So methought ever,' said the damosel, ' for 
never or [before] that time, for no knight that ever I saw, loved I 
never none erst.' ' God grant,' said Sir Gawain, ' that either of you 
may rejoice other, but that is in great adventure [doubt] . But truly,' 
said Sir Gawain unto the damosel, ' ye may say ye have a fair grace, 
for why, I have known that noble knight this four-and-twenty year, 
and never or that day I nor none other knight, I dare make good, 
saw nor heard say that ever he bare token or sign of no lady, gentle- 
woman, nor maiden, at no jousts nor tournament. And therefore, 
fair maiden,' said Sir Gawain, 'ye are much beholden to give him 
thanks. But I dread me,' said Sir Gawain, ' that ye shall never see 



NOTES 243 

him in this world, and that is great pity that ever was of earthly- 
knight.' * Alas,' said she, ' how may this be ? is he slain ? ' 'I say 
not so,' said Sir Gawain, ' but wot ye well, he is grievously wounded 
by all manner of signs, and by men's sight more likelier to be dead 
than to be on life ; and wot ye well he is the noble knight Sir Lance- 
lot, for by this shield I know him.' ' Alas,' said the Fair Maid of 
Astolat. ' How may this be, and what was his hurt ? ' ' Truly,' said 
Sir Gawain, * the man in the world that loved him best hurt him so ; 
and I dare say,' said Sir Gawain, 'an that knight that hurt him 
knew the very certainty that he had hurt Sir Lancelot, it would be 
the most sorrow that ever came to his heart.' ' Now, fair father,' 
said then Elaine, * I require you to give me leave to ride and to seek 
him, or else I wot well I shall go out of my mind, for I shall never 
stint [cease] till that I find him and my brother Sir Lavaiue.' * Do 
as it liketh you,' said her father, ' for me sore repenteth of the hurt 
of that noble knight.' 

" Right so the maid made her ready, and bsfore Sir Gawain mak- 
ing great dole. Then on the morn Sir Gawain came to King Arthur, 
and told him how he had found Sir Lancelot's shield in the keeping 
of the Fair Maid of Astolat. ... * But marvel have I,' said Arthur, 
' that ever he would bear any sign of any damsel ; for, or now, I 
never heard say or knew that he ever bare any token of none earthly 
woman.' * By my head,' said Sir Gawain, ' the Fair Maid of Astolat 
loveth him marvellously well ; what it meaneth I cannot say ; and 
she is riding after to seek him.' So the King and all came to Lon- 
don, and there Sir Gawain openly disclosed to all the court that it 
was Sir Lancelot that jousted best. 

" And when Sir Bors heard that, wit ye well he was an heavy 
man, and so were all his kinsmen. But when Queen Guinevere 
wist that Sir Lancelot bare the red sleeve of the Fair Maiden of 
Astolat, she was nigh out of her mind for wrath. . . . ' Fie on 
him,' said the Queen, ' for I heard Sir Gawain say before my lord 
Arthur that it were marvel to tell the great love that is between 
the Fair Maiden of Astolat and him.' " 

553. Gawain surnamed The Courteous. 

For the gradual deterioration of Gawain in the Arthurian legend, 



244 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

see Introduction, pp. Sfi, 39, and see also, in Note on 1252-1253 below, 
the closing quotation from the metrical romance. 

In the earlier romances he is the head of Arthur's knighthood, 
" The Father of Adventure," "The Fine Father of Courtesy." His 
were the five virtues of frankness and fellowship, "purity and 
courtesy that never failed him, and compassion that surpasses all." 
The Green Knight deemed him, even after his slip, "the most 
faultless knight that ever trode earth. As a pearl among white 
peas is of more worth than they, so is Gawain, i' faith, by other 
knights." In the Roman cle Lancelot it is said that he was famed 
for his kindness to the poor, but it also gives a hint of trouble to 
come in stating that he was careless about religious observances. 
He was especially amiable with ladies: "Sir Gawain, the frank, 
the sweet, whose aid was never wanting to uncounselled damsel" 
(Newell, I. 183). Chaucer cites him {Squire's Tale, 93-97) as a 
model of manners. The strange knight who came to the Tartar 
court bore himself 

" "With so heigh reverence and obeisaunce 
As wel in speche as in countenaunce, 
That Gawain, with his olde curteisj'e, 
Though he were come again out of Fairye, 
Ne could not him amende with a word." 

Gawain even had, originally, a standing as Grail Quester, out- 
ranking Lancelot, for when these two and one other were together 
at the Grail Castle (Weston, 39) " the two knights and Sir Gawain 
sat beside their host, yet not on a level, for Sir Gawain sat above, 
and they below." And while they greedily drank the drowsy wine 
and slept, Gawain denied his thirst and beheld the Grail. Arthur 
held him in especial affection. The King "prayed Erec to return 
as soon as he might, for in all his court was no worthier cavalier, 
save only Gawain, his dear nephew, with whom none could com- 
pare " (Newell, I. 40) . But the later romances exalted, at Gawain's 
expense, Lancelot and Perceval and Galahad, though Tennyson 
has dealt most hardly with him of them all. See Sophie Jewett's 
edition of Tennyson's Holi/ Grail (New York, Silver, 1901), Appen- 
dix Ij for a valuable study of the position of Gawain in Arthurian 



NOTES 246 

romance, especially in Malory. And see Rhys (Studies in the 
Arthurian Legend) for the discussion of GaAvain as a Solar Hero. 
Some such reminiscence seems to live in Malory's account (IV. 18) 
of one of his combats : — 

" Sir Gawaiu from it passed nine of the clock waxed ever 
stronger and stronger, for then it came to the hour of noon, and 
thrice his might was increased. . . . And then when it was past 
noon, and when it drew toward evensong, Sir Gawain's strength 
feebled and waxed passing faint that unnethes [scarcely] he 
might dure [endure] any longer." 

The fullest treatment of Gawaiu up to date may he found in 
Jessie L. Weston's slender volume The Legend of Sir Gaivain 
(London, Nutt, 1897). 

554. Tristram. See Note on 244-245 above, and Note on Gareth 
and Lunette, 386. See also Introduction, pp. 35-36, 38. 

Geraiiit: not in Malory. A Mahinoglon hero, and the Erec of 
Crestien de Troyes; made by Tennyson the subject of two idylls. 

555. The first editions read "And Lamorack," but after plan- 
ning to include the idyll of Gareth and Lynette, the name was 
changed . 

613. It is a pity that Gawaiu missed the poplar grove, for the 
Gawain of the early romances was a marvellous physician. " So 
good a leech might no man find since the day of Mother Eve as 
was Sir Gawaiu ; whatever wound he tended, 'twas healed even as 
ye looked upon it." — Morien (Weston, 95). 

620. " A line," says Stopford Brooke (Tennyson, 316), " of which 
Shakspere might be proud." 

635. The earlier romances rise up in protest against this charac- 
terization of Gawain's courtesy. " Now as the writing doth us to 
wit, the night was black, and of great darkness, for long time it 
thundered, and it rained, and there was so mighty a wind that the 
trees were split asunder. So swift and so oft were the lightning 
flashes that it was a marvel that gentle knight Sir Gawain died 
not ere the morning ; but this I tell ye, that never was he in so 
strait a place but he was saved through his great loyalty, and his 
true courtesy." — Sir Gawain at the Grail Castle (Weston, 13). 

640. It is possible that Gawain obtained his later-romance repu- 



246 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

tation as a Light o' Love through the fact, as Miss Weston puts it 
{Legend of Sir Gaioain, 45), "that Gawain's expedition to and 
residence in the Maidens' Isle (Isle of Women) was an essential 
part of his story. The lady of his love was really the queen of 
that under-world, and he was, naturally enough, regarded as the 
champion of all the dwellers in it. The romances give us no really 
p-ood reason for the title of 'the Maidens' Knight,' as ascribed to 
Gawain ; and it does not seem improbable that it may have been 
part of the original tradition. Gradually, as Christian ideas 
gained ascendancy, this Celtic other- world would come to be looked 
upon somewhat in the light of a Mohammedan paradise, and the 
character of Gawain, as dweller in it, suffered proportionately." 
Of. 

" Sir Gawajme hath sought the isles of light 

Beyond the shores of day, 
Where morn never waneth to shades of night, 

And the silver fountains play ; 
There he holdeth high court as the Maidens' Knight, 

In the'Maidens' Isle for aye." 

653. The first edition had him in place of Jier. The change was 
undoubtedly made in the interests of accuracy, for the female 
hawk, being larger and stronger than the male, was the one used 
in falconry. 

669-670. Cf. The Marriage of Geraint, 509-510: — 

" a maiden is a tender thing 
And best by her that bore her understood." 

In the tale of The Maid with the Narrow Sleeves there occurs 
.(Newell, II. 112) an amusing touch: "Gawain inquired: 'Fair 
sweet sir, is this maid your daughter?' 'Aye, but never mind 
what she says ; a girl is a silly creature.' " 

675. By God's death: a common mediaeval oath, having 
reference to the crucifixion. 

699-700. The Sir Gawain of the early romances was distinguished 
for his culture. He could even, in an emergency, read a sign-post. 

*' So rode they all three together till they came to a parting of 



NOTES 247 

the ways where stood a fair cross, and thereon letters red as blood. 
Sir Gawain was learned in clerkly lore, he read the letters 
wherein was writ that here was the border of Arthur's land, and 
let any man who came to the cross, and who bare the name of 
knight, bethink him well, since he might not ride far without strife 
and conflict. . . . This did Sir Gawain tell to the twain." — Morten 
(Weston, 43-44). 

707. ovir courtesy. 

Sir Gawain {Morten, Weston, 31) was ever mindful not "to 
break the laws of courtesy." So tactful was the courtesy of the 
Round Table that when Sir Gawain once slipt in honour {Sir 
Gaioain and the Green Knight, Weston, 90) and was obliged in 
consequence to wear a belt of gold-embroidered green, "all made 
accord that the lords and the ladies who belonged to the Round 
Table, each hero among them, should wear about him a baldric of 
bright green for the sake of Sir Gawain." In much the same 
fashion, when Lancelot, on his way to rescue Guinevere (see Note 
on 1409-1416 below), had to do the unknightly deed of riding in a 
cart, the Round Table all took to riding in carts, to avert the shame 
from Sir Lancelot. 

728. According to the English metrical romance, Queen Guine- 
vere fell "sore sick" on hearing of Lancelot's new love. Her 
ladies, each weeping as if she were mad, made a bed and put the 
Queen in it, for " of her they had full great pity." 

734-739. Malory tells us (XVIII. 2) how proudly Queen Gume- 
vere, on a previous occasion, had concealed the pangs of jealous 
anger: " So when Sir Lancelot was departed, the Queen outward 
made no manner of sorrow in showing to none of his blood nor to 
none other. But wit ye well, inwardly, as the book saith, she 
took great thought, but she bare it out with a proud countenance, 
as though she felt nothing nor danger." 

740. Malory tells the tale (XVIII. 15-19) as follows : — 

"So as fair Elaine came to Winchester she sought there all about, 
and by fortune Sir Lavaine was riding to play him to enchafe his 
horse. And anon as Elaine saw him she knew him, and then she 
cried on loud unto him. And when he heard her, anon he came to 
her, and then she asked her brother, ' How does my lord, Sir 



248 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

Lancelot?' 'Who told you, sister, that my lord's name was Sir 
Lancelot? ' Then she told him how Sir Gawain hy his shield knew 
him. So they rode together till that they came to the hermitage, 
and anon she alighted. So Sir Lavaine brought her in to see Sir 
Lancelot. And when she saw him lie so sick and pale in his bed, 
she might not speak, but suddenly she fell to the earth down 
suddenly in a swoon, and there she lay a great while. And when 
she was relieved she shrieked and said, ' My lord, Sir Lancelot^ 
alas, why be ye in this plight ? ' and then she swooned again. And 
then Sir Lancelot prayed Sir Lavaine to ' take her up and bring 
her to me.' And when she came to herself, Sir Lancelot kissed 
her, and said, 'Fair maiden, why fare ye thus? Ye put me to 
pain ; wherefore make ye no more such cheer, for, an ye be come 
to comfort me, ye be right welcome ; and of this little hurt that I 
have I shall be right hastily whole by the grace of God. But I 
marvel,' said Sir Lancelot, ' who told you my name.' Then the 
fair maiden told him all how Sir Gawain was lodged with her 
father: 'And there by your shield he discovered your name.' 
* Alas,' said Sir Lancelot, ' that me repenteth that my name is 
known, for I am sure it will turn unto anger.' And then Sir 
Lancelot compassed in his mind that Sir Gawain would tell Queen 
Guinevere how he bare the red sleeve, and for whom, that he wist 
well would turn unto great anger. So this maiden Elaine never 
went from Sir Lancelot, but watched him day and night, and did 
such attendance to him that the French book saith there was never 
woman did more kindlier for man than she. . . . And so within 
three days or four Sir Lancelot was big and strong again. . . . 
'Blessed be God,' said Sir Bors. Then were they there nigh a 
month together, and ever this maiden Elaine did ever her dili- 
gent labor night and day unto Sir Lancelot, that there was 
never child nor wife more meeker to her father and husband 
than was that Fair Maiden of Astolat. ... So then they made 
them ready to depart from the hermit, and so upon a morn they 
took their horses, and Elaine le Blank with them. And when they 
came to Astolat, there were they well lodged, and had great cheer 
of Sir Bernard the old baron and of Sir Tirre his son, and so 
upon the morn, when Sir Lancelot should depart, fair Elaine brought 



NOTES 249 

her father with her and Sir Lavaine and Sir Tirre, and thus she 
said : — 

" 'My lord Sir Lancelot, now I see ye will depart. Now, fair 
knight and courteous knight, have mercy upon me and suffer me 
not to die for thy love.' ' What would ye that I did ? ' said Sir 
Lancelot. ' I would have you to my husband,' said Elaine. ' Fair 
damosel, I thank you,' said Sir Lancelot, ' but truly,' said he, ' I 
cast me never to be wedded man.' . . . 'Alas,' said she, 'then 
must I die for your love.' ' Ye shall not so,' said Sir Lancelot, 
' for wit ye well, fair maiden, I might have been married an I had 
would, but I never applied me to be married yet; but by cause, 
fair damosel, that ye love me as ye say ye do, I will, for your good 
will and kindness, show you some goodness, and that is this, 
that wheresoever ye will beset your heart upon some good knight 
that will wed you, I shall give you together a thousand pound 
yearly, to you and to your heirs; thus much will I give you, fair 
madame, for your kindness, and always while I live to be your own 
knight.' 'Of all this,' said the maiden, 'I will none, for, but if 
ye will wed me, . . . wit ye well. Sir Lancelot, my good days 
are done.' ' Fair damosel,' said Sir Lancelot, 'of these things ye 
must pardon me.' Then she shrieked shrilly and fell down in a 
swoon ; and then women bare her into her chamber, and there she 
made overmuch sorrow. And then Sir Lancelot would depart, and 
there he asked Sir Lavaine what he wovild do. ' \Vhat should I 
do,' said Sir Lavaine, ' but follow you, but if ye drive me from you, 
or command me to go from you? ' Then came Sir Bernard to Sir 
Lancelot, and said to him, ' I can not see but that my daughter 
Elaine will die for your sake.' ' I may not do withal,' said Sir 
Lancelot, * for that me sore repenteth ; for I report me to yourself 
that my proffer is fair, and me repenteth,' said Sir Lancelot, 'that 
she loveth me as she doth. I never was the causer of it.' . . . 
Then Sir Lancelot took his leave, and so they departed, and came 
unto Winchester. And when Arthur wist that Sir Lancelot was 
come whole and sound, the King made great joy of him, and so did 
Sir Gawain and all the knights of the Round Table except Sir 
Agravain and Sir Modred. Also Queen Guinevere was wood 
[madly] wroth with Sir Lancelot, and would by no means speak 



250 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

with him, but estranged herself from him, and Sir Lancelot made 
all the means that he might for to speak with the Queen but it 
would not be." 

761-7(54. Even that " Daraosel Savage," Lynette, tended Gareth's 
wounds, — and his enemy's, too, — after the great battle that freed 
her sister. " And then the maiden Lynette came to Sir Beaumains 
and unarmed him and searched his wounds and stinted his blood, 
and in lilce wise she did to the Red Knight of the Red Lands." — Le 
Morte Darthur, VIL 18. 

Every Norman lady was expected to be something of an apothe- 
cary, physician, and surgeon. Her medicines were the herbs and 
simples she sought in meadow and forest, or raised in her own 
garden, — wormwood, colt's-foot, hoarhound, vervain, centaury, 
savin, feverfew, St. John's-wort. Of these, one must be gathered 
at full of the moon, another at dead of midnight, another when 
Mars is in the ascendant, and others with whispered charms and 
murmured incantations. Nothing was more natural than for the 
Irish princess {Tristan and Iseult, Weston, II. 27) to send her maid, 
attended by two squires, out to seek a medicine for her headache. 
"Thus the three rode forth together, and they came to a wood, 
where was great plenty of herbs, roots and grass." 

795-796. Cf. Gareth and Lynette, 209-2.31. 

798. His own far blood : distant relatives. 

858. In Malory's full narrative, necessarily abridged in our 
Notes, it is told how Sir Bors came seeking his beloved cousin and 
abode with him in the hermitage, overcome with shame and sorrow 
to thnik his own hand should have given that grievous wound. Sir 
Bors highly approved of the " passing fair damosel " whom he found 
busied about his sick kinsman, and would have been glad could 
Lancelot have loved her, but since that might not be. Sir Bors took 
it philosophically enough. " 'Sir,' said Sir Bors, 'she is not the 
first that hath lost her pain upon you, and that is the more pity.' 
And so they talked of many more things." — Malory, XVIII. 16. 

862. held her tenderly : regarded her with affectionate kind- 
ness. 

871-872. Even so it fared with Tristan : — 

" And yet, however sweet love may be, a man must at whiles 



NOTES 261 

bethink him of his honour, and Tristan knew well that he owed 
both faith and honour to Mark, who had sent him to fetch his 
bride, and the twain fought hard with his love, and vexed heart and 
soul between them, yet was it of no avail, for since he had chosen 
Love, Honour and Faith alike must needs be put to the worse." — 
Tristan and Iseult (Weston, II. 19-20). 
873-875. A world of such experience is gathered into the rhyme : — 

" When the Devil was sick 

The Devil a monk would be. 
When the Devil was well, 
The devil a monk was he ! " 

875-879. So would Tristan whisi>er : — 

" Heart's lady, sweet Iseult, thou and the love of thee have 
turned my heart aside; so far have I wandered that nevermore 
may I find the right path. All that mine eyes behold is but weari- 
ness and sorrow, weakness of spirit and heaviness of heart ; in all 
the world is there nought that my heart doth love save thee only." 
— Tristan and Iseult (Weston, II. 15). 

889-893, Cf. Brownmg's 

" That's the wise thrush : he sings each song twice over 
Lest you should think he never could recapture 
The first fine careless rapture." 

Home Thoughts from Abroad. 

905. Cf. Keats's Ode on a Grecian Urn, IV. 1-A: — 

" Who are these coming to the sacrifice ? 

To what green altar, O mj^sterious priest, 
Lead'st thou that heifer lo-ning at the skies. 
And all her silken flanks with garlands drest ? " 

923-931. On another occasion, Lancelot, according to Malory 
(VI. 10), gave a maiden his reasons for abjuring matrimony. Hav- 
ing just slain a wicked knight for her: " ' Now, damosel,' said Sir 
Lancelot, ' will ye any more service of me?' * Nay, sir,' she said, 
' at this time, but almighty Jesu preserve you wheresoever ye ride 
or go for the courteoust knight thou art, and meekest unto all ladies 



252 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

and gentlewomen, that now liveth. But one thing, Sir Knight, me- 
thiuketh ye lack, ye that are a knight wifeless, that ye wull not 
love some maiden or gentlewoman, for I could never hear say that 
ever ye loved any of no manner degree, and that is great pity, but 
it is noised that ye love Queen Guinevere, and that she hath or- 
dained by enchantment that ye shall never love none other but her, 
nor none other damosel nor lady shall rejoice you, wherefore many 
in this land, of high estate and low, make great sorrow.' 'Fair 
damosel,' said Sir Lancelot, 'I may not warn [prevent] people to 
speak of me what it pleaseth them. But for to be a wedded man I 
think it not, for then I must bide at ease with her and leave arms 
and tournaments, battles and adventures.' " 

939. quit : requite. 

955. my blood : of my kin. 

982. Malory carries on the story (XVIII. 19) as follows : — 

" Now speak we of the Fair Maiden of Astolat, that made such 
sorrow day and night that she never slept, ate, nor drank, and ever 
she made her complaint unto Sir Lancelot. So when she had thus 
endured a ten days, that she feebled so that she must needs pass 
out of this world, then she shrived her clean, and received her 
Creator. And ever she complained still upon Sir Lancelot. Then 
her ghostly father bade her leave such thoughts. Then she said : 
' Why should I leave such thoughts ? am I not an earthly woman ? 
And all the while the breath is in my body I may complain me, for 
my belief is I do none offence though I love an earthly man, and I 
take God to my record I loved none but Sir Lancelot du Lac, nor 
never shall, and a clean maiden I am for him and for all other, and 
since it is the sufferance of God that I shall die for the love of so 
noble a knight, I beseech the High Father of Heaven to have mercy 
upon my soul, and upon mine innumerable pains that I suffered 
may be allegeance [expiation] of part of my sins. For, sweet Lord 
Jesu,' said the fair maiden, 'I take thee to record, I was never 
great offenser against thy laws, but that I loved this noble knight 
Sir Lancelot out of measure, and of myself, good Lord, I might not 
withstand the fervent love where for I have my death.' And then 
she called her father Sir Bernard and her brother Sir Tirre, and 
heartily she prayed her father that her brother might write a letter 



NOTES 253 

like as she did indite it ; and so her father granted her. And when 
the letter was written word by word like as she devised, then she 
prayed her father that she might be watched until she were dead. 
' And while my body is hot, let this letter be pat in my right hand, 
and my hand bound fast with the letter until that I be cold, and 
let me be put in a fair bed with all my richest clothes that I have 
about me, and so let my bed and all my richest clothes be laid with 
me in a chariot unto the next place where Thames is, and there let 
me be put within a barge, and but one man with me, such as ye 
trust to steer me thither, and that my barge be covered with black 
samite over and over. Thus, father, I beseech you let it be done.' 
So her father granted it her faithfully, all things should be done 
like as she had devised. Then her father and her brother made 
great dole, for when this was done, anon she died. And so when 
she was dead, the corpse, and the bed, all was led the next way 
unto Thames, and there a man, and the corj^se, and all, were put 
into Thames, and so the man steered the barge unto Westminster, 
and there he rowed a great while to and fro or any espied it." 

986. the pictured wall : hung with tapestries. 

991-9^X3. Note the parallel with the grief of Dido, .Eiie'id, IV. 
460-405. The translation of William Morris is : — 

" Thence heard she, when the earth was held in murky hand of night, 
Strange sounds come forth, and words as if her husband called his own. 
And o'er and o'er his fuTieral song the screech-owl wailed alone, 
And long his lamentable tale from high aloft was rolled. 
And many a saying furthermore of God-loved seers of old 
Fears her with dreadful memory." 

But for the passionate Dido the nights are full of terror and of 
anguish; for Elaine, love sweetens death, and all is peace, all is 
beauty. 

1015-1016. Some Celtic families of antiquity still pride themselves 
upon such a i)hantom, known in Ireland as a banshee. W. B. Yeats 
defines {Irish Faery and Other Folk Tales, 108) the word as fol- 
lows : — 

"The banshee (from ba7i [bean], a woman, and shee [sidhe], a 
fairy) is an attendant fairy that follows the old families, and none 



254 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

but them, and wails before a death. Many have seen her as she 
goes wailing and clapping her hands. The keen [caoine], the 
funeral cry of the peasantry, is said to be an imitation of her cry." 

** The Banshee," says Mr. McAnally {Irish Wonders, 112), "is 
really a disembodied soul, that of one who in life was strongly 
attached to the family, or had good reason to hate all its members. 
Thus, in different instances, the Banshee's song may be inspired by 
different motives. When the Banshee loves those whom she calls, 
the song is a low, soft chant, giving notice, indeed, of the close 
proximity of the angel of death, but with a tenderness of tone 
that reassures the one destined to die, and comforts the survivors ; 
rather a welcome than a warning, and having in its tones a thrill 
of exultation, as though the messenger spirit were bringing glad 
tidings to him summoned to join the waiting throng of his 
ancestors." 

The Scotch phantom is a water-wraith, and the Welsh is a bat- 
like creature which flies abroad after dusk and flaps its leathern 
wings against the window of the sick-chamber, calling in a broken, 
howling, blood-curdling tone the name of the person about to die. 
Saxon families, however long their pedigrees, have no attendant 
banshees. 

1080-1081. Collins notes this as the equivalent of line 908 in the 
Agamemnon of ^schylus : "He who is not an object of envy is not 
an object of emulation." 

1092. the ghostly man : the priest. 

1155. Malory concludes the story (XVIII. 20) as follows : — 

" So by fortune King Arthur and the Queen Guinevere were speak- 
ing together at a window ; and so as they looked into Thames, they 
espied this black barge, and had marvel what it meant. Then the 
King called Sir Kay and showed it him. ' Sir,' said Sir Kay, ' wit 
you well there is some new tidings.' 'Go thither,' said the King 
to Sir Kay, 'and take with you Sir Brandiles and Agravain, 
and bring me ready word what is there.' Then these four knights 
departed, and came to the barge, and went in ; and there they 
found the fairest corpse lying in a rich bed, and a poor man sitting 
on the barge's end, and no word would he speak. So these four 
knights returned unto the King again, and told him what they 



NOTES 255 

found. 'That fair corpse will I see,' said the King. And so the 
King took the Queen by the hand and went thither. Then the King 
made the barge to be holden fast, and then the King and the 
Queen entered with certain knights with them, and there he saw 
the fairest woman lie in a rich bed covered unto her middle with 
many rich clothes, and all was of cloth of gold, and she lay as 
though she had smiled. Then the Queen espied a letter in her 
right hand, and told it to the King. Then the King took it and 
said, * Now I am sure this letter will tell what she was, and why 
she is come hither.' So then the King and Queen went out of the 
barge, and so commanded a certain wait [guard] upon the barge. 

" And so when the King was come within his chamber he called 
many knights about him, and said that he would weet openly what 
was written within that letter. Then the King brake it, and made 
a clerk to read it, and this was the intent of the letter : ' Most noble 
knight. Sir Lancelot, now hath death made us two at debate for 
your love. I was your lover that men called the Fair Maiden of 
Astolat; therefore unto all ladies I make my moan. Yet pray for 
my soul, and bury me at least, and offer ye my mass penny ; this 
is my last request. And a clean maiden I died, I take God to wit- 
ness. Pray for my soul, Sir Lancelot, as thou art peerless.' This 
was all the substance in the letter. And when it was read, the 
King, the Queen, and all the knights wept for pity of the doleful 
complaints. 

"Then was Sir Lancelot sent for and when he was come, King 
Arthur made the letter to be read to him. And when Sir Lancelot 
heard it word by word, he said, ' My lord Arthur, wit ye well I am 
right heav>' of the death of this fair damosel. God knoweth I was 
never causer of her death by my willing, and that will I report me 
to her own brother, — here he is, — Sir Lavaine. I will not say nay,' 
said Sir Lancelot, ' but that she was both fair and good, and much I 
was beholden to her, but she loved me out of measure.' * Ye might 
have showed her,' said the Queen, 'some bounty and gentleness 
that might have preserved her life.' * Madame,' said Sir Lancelot, 
. . . ' I" love not to be constrained to love ; for love must arise of 
the heart, and not by constraint.' 'That is truth,' said the King. 
. . . Then said the King unto Sir Lancelot, ' It will be your wor- 



256 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

ship that ye see that she be interred worshipfully.' 'Sir,' said Sir 
Lancelot, ' that shall be done as I can best devise.' 

" And so many knights went thither to behold that fair maiden. 
And so upon the morn she was interred richly, and Sir Lancelot 
offered her mass penny, and all the knights of the Table Round 
that were there at that time offered with Sir Lancelot. And then 
the poor man went again with the barge. Then the Queen sent for 
Sir Lancelot, and prayed him of mercy, for why that she had been 
wroth with him causeless. ' This is not the first time,' said Sir 
Lancelot, ' that ye have been displeased with me causeless ; but, 
madame, ever must I suffer you, but what sorrow I endure I take 
no force [heed].' " 

11G7. pointed lace. Queen Guinevere had so rich a wardrobe 
that she made nothing of presenting Enide (Newell, I. 31-32) with 
a wedding dress: — 

"Queen Guinevere led the maid to her chamber and bade a ser- 
vant fetch the new robe and green mantle that had been fashioned 
for herself. The man went, and brought the robe, which was lined 
with ermine as far as the sleeves; at points and kerchief it showed 
half a mark of beaten gold, with stones of many hues. If the 
gown was rich, costlier was the mantle, bordered with sables, and 
adorned with golden tassels of an ounce weight, on one an onyx, 
and on the other a ruby, bright as a flaming candle; 'twas lined 
with white ermine, and wrought with crosses of every color — blue, 
vermeil, and violet, white, yellow, and gray. The queen called for 
a lace, four ells long, of silk twisted with gold, and caused it to be 
inserted by a master of his craft ; this done, she embraced the 
maid in the white gown, and cried frankly : ' My damsel! you must 
change your gown for this robe, worth a hundred marks ; another 
time I will make you a better present.' The girl took the dress, 
and thanked the Queen ; two damsels led her away to a separate 
chamber, where she put away her white gown, bidding it be 
bestowed for the love of God, She girt on the robe, fastening it 
by a golden brooch ; the damsels bound her hair in a silken net, 
but brighter were her locks than the threads of gold. On her head 
they placed a coronet, wrought with dowers of many hues ; they 
busied themselves, until they could find naught to amend : about 



NOTES 257 

her neck a maiden wound a double necklace of golden links. She 
issued, and came to the Queen, who was pleased to find her so fair 
and well-bred ; Queen Guinevere took her by the hand, and led her 
to the King, who rose to receive them, and the like did the knights 
of the Round Table, the noblest in the world." 

1170. oriel: projecting window, affording a little recess where 
private conversation could be held. 

1177-1178. The down of the young swan, the cygnet, is dusky in hue. 

1225-1229. Cf. The Last Tournament, 1-50. 

122G. The reference is to a window opening on a hinge. 

123()-12.37. Even so uncertain, so broken by sudden storms, was 
the love of Tristan and Isolt. 

"At whiles they were wroth with each other, but without ill 
will; for so is the way of Love — she kindleth anger in the hearts 
of lovers, but the pain of anger is swiftly forgotten in the bliss of 
pardon, when love is as it were new born, and trust greater than 
it was before. Ye all know well how anger ariseth and how peace 
is made for but little cause, for lovers are lightly prone to think 
that there is another nearer and dearer than they, and a small sus- 
picion they make occasion for great anger — out of a little grief 
they win a rich atonement. Thns did Tristan and Iseult, even as 
all lovers have done before them, and shall do while the world 
endures." — Tristan and Iseult (Weston, II. 32-33). 

1252-1253. In the English metrical romance the " little boat " is 
first seen by Arthur and Gawain, as they look down upon the river 
from a tower where they have been holding conference. The King 
marvels at the splendour of its furnishings, "all shining as gold," 
and they go down to examine it. " Full richly arrayed they it 
found," and in the middle a bed fair enough for any Christian 
king. In lifting up the coverlet they see the dead damsel, whom 
Sir Gawain recognizes as "The Maid of Ascalot." He discovers 
beside her a purse wrought of gold and pearls, containing a letter. 
The letter opens : — 

'"To King Arthiu- and to each good knight 
That belongs to the Round Table, 
Courteous and most of might, 
Doughty, noble, true and stable, 



258 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 



Worshipful in every fight, 
To the needy profitable, 
The Maid of Ascalot, by right, 
Sendcth greeting without fable. 
To you all my plaint I make 
Of wrong that unto me is done. 
But not that ye should undertake 
To amend it anyone. 



But I would have you understand 
That for I have, this many a day, 
Been truest lover in the land, 
• Death fetched me from this world away. 

****** 

To tell you true — so save my soul ! — 
For whom I underwent this woe, — 
Death took me hence with grief and dole 
For the noblest knight that earth doth know. 

****** 

It was, my lords, all for his sake 
Sorrow and care at heart I bore. 
Till Death at last my breath did take 
That I mjght suffer life no more. 
For faithful love va\ heart did break, 
And bare of bliss my life became. 
All was for Lancelot of the Lake, 
If ye would know my sorrow's name.' " 

When Arthur had read this letter, he says to Gawaiu : — 

" ' This Lancelot was greatly to blame 
And hath won for himself a reproving 
Forever, hath won him ill fame. 
Since a damsel hath died for his loving.' " 

They bear her worshipfully into the palace and tell the barons 
why she died. The Queen is passing wroth with Sir Gawain for 
having slandered Lancelot, whose truth to Guinevere is proved by 
the maiden's letter. 



NOTES 259 

" ' Forsooth, sir, thou wert too unkind 
To gab so about any man, 

****** 

Thy courtesy was all behind 
When thou those sayings first began. , 

****** 

I thought thou hadst been stable and true, 
A mirror of all courtesy ; % 

But now methinks thy manners new 
Are all incKned to villainy.' 
****** 

The wrathful Queen was left forlorn, 
"Wringing her hands with wel-away : 
' Alas, that ever I was born ! 
Kepent and grieve me well I may. 
O heart, alas, what madness made 
Thee trow that Lancelot of the Lake 
So fickle was that he betrayed 
Old love and true, new love to take I 
Nay, were the world against me weighed, 
He would not hurt me nor forsake.' " 

1256. the meek Sir Percivale. See Introduction, pp. 37-39, for 
the position of Perceval in the Arthurian legend. His idyll is The 
Holy Grail. But as for his meekness, this {Morien, Weston, 26) is 
Ga wain's testimony : — 

"'Now believe ye my tale; did ye once find Perceval, an ye 
thought to say to him other than he chose to hear, by the Lord 
above us ye dare not do it for the king's crown, who is lord of this 
land, he would put ye to such great shame ! Of long time, and full 
well, do I know his ways! When he is well entreated, and men 
do naught to vex him, then is he gentle as a lamb, but an ye 
rouse him to wrath then is he the fiercest wight of God's making 
— in such wise is he fashioned. Gentle and courteous is he to all 
the world, rich and poor, so long as men do him no wrong, but let 
his temper be changed, and nowhere shall ye find his fellow.' " 

1257. pure Sir Galahad. 

" And thereof did the tale wax great ; how that he should achieve 



260 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

the quest of the Grail, and all the adventures, small and great, 
which appertained to the Round Table, for 'twas said that he should 
sit in the Perilous Seat, wherein durst never man sit." — Morltn 
(Weston, 147). 

See Introduction, pp. 37-39, and, also, Note on 4:47-4-19 above. But, 
above all, see and read and learn and love Tennyson's lyric Sir 
Gdahad. 
12G0. " But Lancelot mused a little space ; 

He said, ' She lias a lovely face ; 
God in his mercy lend her grace, 
The Lady of Shalott.'" 

1274. a knight peerless. 

" Then went Sir Bors unto Sir Ector, and told him how there lay 
his brother Sir Lancelot dead. And then Sir Ector threw his shield, 
sword, and helm from him. And when he beheld Sir Lancelot's 
visage, he fell down in a swoon. And when he waked, it were hard 
any tongue to tell the doleful complaints that he made for his 
brother. ' Ah, Lancelot,' he said, ' thou were head of all Christian 
knights. And now I dare say,' said Sir Ector, ' thou Sir Lancelot, 
there thou liest, that thou were never matched of earthly knight's 
hand, and thou were the courteoust knight that ever bare shield, 
and thou were the truest friend to thy lover that ever bestrad horse, 
and thou were the truest lover of a sinful man that ever loved 
woman, and thou were the kindest man that ever strake with 
sword, and thou were the goodliest person that ever came among 
press of knights, and thou was the meekest man and the gentlest 
that ever ate in hall among ladies, and thou were the sternest 
knight to thy mortal foe that ever put spear in the rest.'"— Le 
3Iorte Darthur (XXI. 13). 

1327. Cf. Francis Beaumont's strangely impressive lines — 

ON THE TOMBS IN WESTMINSTER ABBEY 

Mortality, behold and fear 
What a change of flesh is here ! 
Think how many royal bones 
Sleep within these heaps of stones ; 
Here they lie, had realms and lands, 



NOTES 261 

"Who now want strength to stir their hands, 

Where from their pulpits seal'd with dust 

They preach, " In greatness is no trust." 

Here's an acre sown indeed 

With the richest royaUest seed 

That the earth did e'er suck in 

Since the first man died for sin : 

Here the bones of birth have cried 

" Though gods they were, as men they died ! " 

Here are sands, ignoble things, 

Dropt from the ruin'd sides of kings : 

Here's a world of pomp and state 

Buried in dust, once dead by fate. 

1335-1342. So Tristan and Isolt held secret speech in the very 
throng and press of folk. 

" And as the days passed on they learnt, even among the folk 
around them, to speak to each other hy glances and hidden words, 
as is the way of lovers. And as they grew bolder even through 
their open speech there ran a meaning knowTi but to themselves, 
love working in their speech, even as a gold thread running through 
silk tissue." — Tristan and Iseult (Weston, II. 31-32). 

1346. affiance : trust. 

1362. the great Sir Lancelot of the Lake. 

" ' Ah,' said Sir Persant, ' of a more renowned knight might ye 
not be made knight, for of all the knights in the world he may be 
called chief of all knighthood.' " — Le Morte Darthur (VII. 13). 

1376-1378. Cf . Malory, XVIII. 21 : — 

" So daily Sir Lancelot would go to a well fast by the hermitage, 
and there he would lie down and see the well spring and bubble, 
and sometimes he slept there." 

1382-1390. "And faithless to the King, how can Guinevere and 
her lover be secure even of their faith to each other? Suspicion, 
jealousy, recrimination throw their shadows between them. The 
great tournament-prize of Arthur's reign is lost to the Queen, as 
she drops into the waves the glorious diamonds that might have 
been her second crown. The great life-prize that might have been 
Lancelot's diamond crown, the love of the lily maid of Astulat. is 



262 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

lost to him ; he, too, as it were, drops it in the stream and only 
feels its worth when it is gone." — Maccallum. 

1393. See Gareth and Lynette, Note on 212, and Introduction, 
p. 35. 

1409-1416. The after-life of Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere 
is thus related by Malory (XVIII-XXI) : — 

In the winter following the death of the Maid of Astolat there 
was a great Christmas jousting, in which Sir Lancelot bore off the 
prize, " and by heralds they named him that he had smitten down 
fifty knights, and Sir Gareth five and thirty, and Sir Lavaine four 
and twenty knights." When it came spring. Queen Guinevere 
rode a-Maying, with ten knights of the Round Table clothed all in 
green. And Sir Meliagrance, who " loved passing well Queen Guin- 
evere and so he had done long and many years," set upon her com- 
pany with eight-score men well-armed, and bore her away to his 
castle. In response to her messenger. Sir Lancelot rode to her 
rescue, but the ambushed archers of Sir Meliagrance shot forty 
arrows into his horse, and because it was slow travelling on foot 
in full armour, Sir Lancelot rode in a cart, as felons ride to their 
hanging, and therefore was he called the Cavalier of the Cart. 
Then did Sir Meliagrance put him in Sir Lancelot's grace and there 
was feasting at the castle, but because of the love between Sir 
Lancelot and Guinevere, Sir Meliagi-ance impeached the Queen of 
treason. Then would Guinevere have been burned in the fire, but 
Sir Lancelot rode forth as her champion and proved her innocence 
by slaying him who accused her. " And then the King and the 
Queen made much of Sir Lancelot, and more he was cherished than 
ever he was before." But still Sir Modred and his brother Sir 
Agravain — not recognized in the Tennyson story — kept watch 
upon the Queen and Sir Lancelot, and out of secret hate they did 
it, and at the last disclosed that evil to the King. " ' Alas, me sore 
repenteth,' said the King, ' that ever Sir Lancelot should be against 
me. Now I am sure the noble fellowship of the Round Table is 
broken forever, for with him will many a noble knight hold, and 
now it is fallen so,' said the King, ' that I may not with my wor- 
ship but the Queen must suffer the death.' . . . And then the 
Queen was led forth without Carlyle, and there she was despoiled 



NOTES 263 

to her smock. And so then her ghostly father was brought to her 
to be shriven of her misdeeds. Then was there weeping and wail- 
ing and wringing of hands of many lords and ladies. But there 
were but few in comparison that .would bear any armor for to 
strength the death of the Queen. Then was there one that Sir 
Lancelot had sent unto that place for to espy what time the Queen 
should go unto her death. And anon as he saw the Queen despoiled 
to her smock and so shriven, then he gave Sir Lancelot warning. 
Then was there but spurring and plucking up of horses and right 
so they came to the fire. And who that stood agaiust them, there 
were they slain. There might none withstand Sir Lancelot. . . . 
And so in this rushing and hurling, as Sir Lancelot thrang here and 
there, it mishapped him to slay . . . Sir Gareth, the noble knight. 
. . . Then when Sir Lancelot had thus done, and slain and put to 
flight all that would withstand him, then he rode straight unto 
Dame Guinevere, and made a kirtle and a gown to be cast upon 
her, and then he made her to be set behind him, and prayed her to 
be of good cheer. Wit you well the Queen was glad that she was 
escaped from the death. And then she thanked God and Sir Lance- 
lot, and so he rode his way with the Queen, as the French book 
saith, unto Joyous Garde, and there he kept her as a noble knight 
should do, and many great lords and some kings sent Sir Lancelot 
many good knights, and many noble knights drew unto Sir Lance- 
lot. When this was known openly that King Arthur and Sir 
Lancelot were at debate, many knights were glad of their debate, 
and many were full heavy of their debate. So turn we again unto 
King Arthur, that when it was told him how and in what manner of 
wise the Queen was taken away from the fire, and when he heard 
of the death of his noble knights, and in especial of . . . Sir Gar- 
eth"s death, then the King swooned for pure sorrow. And when 
he awoke of his swoon, then he said : ' Alas, that ever I bare crown 
upon my head ! For now have I lost the fairest fellowship of noble 
knights that ever held Christian king together. Alas! my good 
knights be slain away from me. . . . Mercy, Jesu!' said the 
King. ' Why slew he Sir Gareth? . . . For I dare say as for Sir 
Gareth, he loved Sir Lancelot above all men earthly.' " Then 
Gawain was passing wroth for his brother's death, albeit all men 



264 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

said that Sir Lancelot slew Sir Gareth in the midmost of the press 
and knew him not, and so came King Arthur and Sir Gawain with 
a huge host and laid siege ahout Joyous Garde. "But as the 
French book saith, the noble King Arthur would have taken his 
Queen again and have been accorded with Lancelot, but Sir Gawain 
would not suffer him by no manner of mean." And when the bat- 
tle was joined, " ever King Arthur was nigh about Sir Lancelot to 
have slain him, and Sir Lancelot suffered him and would not strike 
again. . . . Then . . . King Arthur . . . looked upon Sir Lance- 
lot and then the tears burst out of his eyes, thinking on the great 
courtesy that was in Sir Lancelot more than in any other man." 
So great was the war before Joyous Garde that it was noised 
abroad even to the Pope, who charged King Arthur to take his 
Queen to him again, and to this Sir Lancelot gave free assent. 
"'It was never in my thought,' said Lancelot, 'to withhold the 
Queen from my lord Arthur, but in so much she should have been 
dead for my sake, meseemeth it was my part to save her life and 
put her from that danger till better recover might come, and now 
I thank God,' said Sir Lancelot, 'that the Pope hath made her 
peace.' " So he restored her to King Arthur with all pomp and 
state. "And she and Sir Lancelot were clothed in white cloth of 
gold tissue. And right so as ye have heard, as the French book 
maketh mention, he rode with the Queen from Joyous Garde to 
Carlyle. ... So when Sir Lancelot saw the King and Sir Gawain, 
then he led the Queen by the arm, and then he kneeled down and 
the Queen both. Wit you well then was there many a bold knight 
with King Arthur that wept as tenderly as though they had seen 
all their kin afore them. So the King sat still and said no word." 
Nor could aught that Sir Lancelot might speak win the King's 
grace, though "the tears fell on King Arthur's cheeks," but ban- 
ished was Lancelot from the realm. . . . "And then Sir Lancelot 
said unto Guinevere in hearing of the King and them all : ' Madame, 
now I must depart from you and this noble fellowship forever, and 
since it is so I beseech you to pray for me, and say me well, and 
if ye be hard bested by any false tongues, lightly, my lady, send 
me word, and if any knight's hands may deliver you by battle, I 
shall deliver you.' And therewithal Sir Lancelot kissed the Queen 



NOTES 265 

. . . and so he took his way uuto Joyous Garde, and then ever after 
he called it Dolorous Garde. And thus departed Sir Lancelot from 
the court forever," It was when Arthur and Gawain had gone 
over sea to make war on Lancelot that Modred seized upon the 
kingdom. Then had Gawain his mortal hurt at Dover and a little 
hefore he died he wrote a letter to Sir Lancelot doing him to wit 
that he was hurt to the death hy a thrust in the old wound which 
he had of Sir Lancelot. " ' For of a more nohler man might I not 
he slain. Also, Sir Lancelot, for all the love that ever was betwixt 
us, make no tarrying, but come over the sea in all haste, that thou 
mayst with thy noble kuights rescue that noble King that made 
thee knight, that is, my lord Arthur, for he is full straitly bestead 
with a false traitor, that is, my half brother, Sir Modred.' " Then 
came Sir Lancelot with all the haste he might, but the King was 
slain. Then Lancelot sought for the Queen, ' ' and at the last he came 
to a nunneiy, and then was Queen Guinevere ware of Sir Lancelot 
as he walked in the cloister, and when she saw him there she 
swooned thrice." And he would have had her go with him unto 
his own realm, but she would not, and besought him to see her 
nevermore. "'For as well as I have loved thee, mine heart will 
not serve me to see thee, for through thee and me is the flower of 
kings and knights destroyed.'" Then Sir Lancelot "went and 
took his horse and rode all that day and all night in a forest 
weeping. And at the last he was ware of an hermitage, and a chapel 
stood betwixt two cliffs, and then he heard a" little bell ring to mass, 
and thither he rode and alighted and tied his horse to the gate and 
heard mass, and he that sang mass was the Bishop of Canterbury. 
Both the Bishop and Sir Bedivere knew Sir Lancelot and they spake 
together after mass, but when Sir Bedivere had told his tale all 
whole. Sir Lancelot's heart almost burst for sorrow. And Sir 
Lancelot threw his arms abroad and said : ' Alas ! who may trust 
this world! ' And then he kneeled down on his knee, and prayed 
the Bishop to shrive him and assoil him, and then he besought the 
Bishop that he might be his brother. Then the Bishop said : ' I will 
gladly,' and there he put a habit [monastic gown] upon Sir Lancelot, 
and there he served God day and night with prayers and fastings." 
And when, after the death of Guinevere, Lancelot had sickened and 



266 THE PASSING OF ARTHUR 

died, the Bishop saw in a vision " the ang-els heave up Sir Lancelot 
into heaven." 

It would appear to have been something of a tug. 

1418. he should die a holy man. 

When Sir Lancelot entered upon the Quest of the Holy Grail, he 
had striven to forsake his sins, as told the hermit Nacien (Malory, 
XVI. 4-5) : — 

" He hath left pride and taken him to humility, for he hath cried 
mercy loud for his sin and sore repented him, and our* Lord hath 
clothed him in His clothing which is full of knots, that is, the hair 
that he weareth daily. . . . For I dare well say, as sinful as Sir 
Lancelot hath been, since that he went into the Quest of the Sangreal 
he slew never man, nor nought shall till that he come unto Camelot 
again ; for he hath taken upon him for to forsake sin. And were it 
not that he is not stable, but by his thought he is likely to turn 
again, he should be next to achieve it save Galahad his son; but 
God knoweth his thought and his unstableness, and yet shall he die 
right an holy man, and no doubt he hath no fellow of no earthly 
sinful man." 



THE PASSING OF ARTHUR 

Tennyson has here inserted that noble epic fragment of his youth, 
Morte d' Arthur, between an introductory passage (1-169) and a 
concluding passage (441-469). The story comes from Malory, XXI. 
4-5. It is of interest to compare the English metrical romance, Le 
Morte Arthur. 

1. the bold Sir Bedivere. 

This knight (see Introduction, pp. 30-31) dates from Geoffrey's 
history. He is mentioned in Malory (V. 5) as, together with Sir 
Kay, accompanying Arthur when he goes to fight the giant on St. 
Michael's Mount; again (V. 6) as sent, together with Sir Gawain, 
Sir Bors, and Sir Lionel, on an embassy to the Roman general 
Lucius; again (VII. 27) as one of Arthur's retinue on occasion of 
Lady Lyonors' tournament ; again (XVIII. 11) as smitten down by 
Sir Lavaine in the jousts where Lancelot wore the Maid of Astolat's 



NOTES 267 

favour ; again (XIX. 11) as the brother of Sir Lucan the butler ; and 
several times in connection with the closing scenes of Arthur's life. 
The last survivor of the Round Table, he lived as a hermit to 
extreme old age. 

6. On their march to westward. 

While Arthur and Gawain were abroad, waging war on Lance- 
lot, — see Lancelot and Elaine, Note on 140i^)-1416, — Modred gave 
out (Malory, XXI. 1-3) that Arthur had been slain in combat with 
Lancelot, and, like the traitor that he was, seized the realm. 
"Wherefore Sir Modred made a Parliament, and called the lords 
together, and there he made them to choose him king, and so was 
he crowned at Canterbury, and held a feast there fifteen days. . . . 
Then came word to Sir Modred that King Arthur had raised the 
siege from Sir Lancelot, and he was coming homeward with a great 
host to be avenged upon Sir Modred. . . . And so Sir Modred 
drew with a great host to Dover, for there he heard say that Sir 
Arthur would arrive, . . . and the most part of all England held 
with Sir Modred, the people were so newfangle. . . . But King 
Arthur was so courageous that there might no manner of knights 
let him to land [hinder him from landing], and his knights fiercely 
followed him, and so they landed malgre [despite] Sir Modred and 
all his power, ancj put Sir Modred aback, that he fled and all his 
people. . . . Then much people drew unto King Arthur. And then 
they said that Sir Modred warred upon King Arthur with wrong, 
and then King Arthur drew him with his host down by the seaside,* 
westward toward Salisbury." 

12. I w^aged His wars, and now^ I pass and die. 

" If you have given everything except life, know that you have 
given nothing." — Ibsen's Brand. 

18-20. Cf.: — 

" We are led to believe a lie 
When we see with not through the eye." 

William Blake's Auguries of Innocence. 

24-25. See the idyll Guinevere. 

26. Reels back into the beast. Cf . The Coming of Arthur, 
5-12. 



268 THE PASSING OF ARTHUR 

28. I pass, but shall not die. Cf. The Coming of Arthur, 
418-421, and Lancelot and Elaine, 1248-1251. 

30-37. In Malory's telling (XXI. 3), Gawain's ghost comes to 
Arthur on a practical and loyal errand, not as a mere allegory of 
worldly vanity. 

" So upon Trinity Sunday at night, King Arthur dreamed a won- 
derful dream. . . . And then knights, squires, and yeomen awaked 
the king, and then he was so amazed that he wist not where he was. 

"And then he fell a-slumbering again, not sleeping nor thor- 
oughly waking. So the King seemed verily that there came Sir 
Gawain unto him with a number of fair ladies with him. And 
when King Arthur saw him, then he said, ' Welcome, my sister's son, 
I weened thou hadst been dead, and now I see thee alive, much 
am I beholden unto almighty Jesu. O fair nephew and my sister's 
son, what be these ladies that hither be come with you?' 'Sir,' 
said Sir Gawain, ' all these be ladies for whom I have fought when 
I was man living, and all these are those that I did battle for in 
righteous quarrel, and God hath given them that grace at their 
great prayer, because I did battle for them, that they should bring 
me hither unto you. This much hath God given me leave for to 
warn you of your death, for an ye fight as to-morn with Sir 
Modred, as ye both have assigned, doubt ye not ye must be slain, 
and the most part of your people on both parties. And for the great 
grace and goodness that Almighty Jesu hath unto you, and for pity 
of you and many more other good men there shall be slain, God 
hath sent me to you, of His special grace, to give you waruiug, that 
in no wise ye do battle as to-morn, but that ye take a treaty for a 
month day, and proffer you largely, so as to-morn to be put in a 
delay. For within a month shall come Sir Lancelot, with all his 
noble knights, and rescue you worshipfully, and slay Sir Modred 
and all that ever will hold with him.' " 

But by mischance the battle was joined on the morrow. 

In the English metrical romance the vision is to the same 

effect : — 

" Now hard on dawn he fell on sleep. 

By him were seven tapers high. 

He thought Gawain the watch did keep, 

With folk innumerable, by 



NOTES 269 



A river that was broad and deep. 
They seemed like angels from the sky. 
The King was never yet so fain 
As now, his sister's son to see. 
' "Welcome,' said Arthur, ' Sir Gawain ! 
If thou mightst hve, 'twere well with me. 
Dear friend, in truth sincere and plain, 
What are the folk that follow thee ? ' 
'My lord,' he answered him again, 
' They bide in bhss eternally. 
Knights they were and ladies fair, 
Who with this worldly life are done. 
While still as man I breathed the air, 
I fought their foes full many a one. 
Great love for this to me they bear ; 
They bless the day I saw the sun. 
They asked my leave with me to fare 
To say to you that ye must shun 
The battle for a month and make 
A truce. So shall j'e victory gain, 
For Cometh Lancelot of the Lake, 
With many a man of might and main. 
But fight not now when ye awake, 
For so, in sooth, ye shall be slain.' " 

36. And I am blown along a wandering wind. 

This idea is suggested by Virgil (.Eneid, VI. 140-141) and power- 
fully developed by Dante in the fifth canto of the Inferno. 
38-41. In the fifth canto of the Inferno occurs a kindred simile : — 

"As cranes. 
Chanting their dolorous notes, traverse the sky, 
Stretch'd out in long array ; so I beheld 
Spirits, who came loud wailing, hurried on 
By their dire doom." 

48-49. The fairy life, " the harmless glamour of the field," that 
rejoiced all Britain in King Arthur's time, is depicted in Guinevere, 
330-268. 

Cf, Chaucer's Tale of the Wyf of Bathe, 1-5 : — 



270 THE PASSING OF ARTHUR 

" In th' olde dayes of the king Arthour, 
Of which that Britons speken greet honour, 
Al was this land fulfild of fayerye. 
The elf-queen, with hir joly companye, 
Daunced ful ofte in many a grene mede." 

65-70. For Arthur's wars against the Romans and Saxons, see 
Introduction, pp. 21-22, 29-31, and Lancelot and Elaine, 284-316. 

69. the Roman wall : built across the island to repel the North- 
ern invaders. 

77. One lying in the dust at Almesbury. See Guinevere, 
398-420; 524-533. 

According to Malory (XXI. 7) the Queen did not take refuge at 
Almesbury until after the death of the King. 

"And when Queen Guinevere understood that King Arthur was 
slain, and all the noble knights, Sir Modred and all the remnant, 
then the Queen stole away and five ladies with her, and so she went 
to Almesbury, and there she let make herself a nun, and ware white 
clothes and black, and great penance she took as ever did sinful 
lady in this land ; and never creature could make her merry, but 
lived in fasting, prayers, and alms-deeds, that all manner of people 
marvelled how virtuously she was changed." 

81-84. Lyonesse. See Lancelot and Elaine, Note on line 35. 

92. See Introduction, p. 32. 

94. weird battle of the west. 

The account given by Malory (XXI. 4) is as follows : — 

" And so both hosts dressed them together. And King Arthur 
took his horse and said, ' Alas; this unhappy day,' and so rode to 
his party; and Sir Modred likewise. And never was there seen a 
more dolef uller battle in no Christian land ; for there was but rush- 
ing and riding, foining and striking, and many a grim word was 
there spoken either to other, and many a deadly stroke. But ever 
King Arthur rode throughout the battle of Sir Modred many times, 
and did full nobly as a noble king should, and at all times he fainted 
never, and Sir Modred that day put him in devoir, and in great 
peril. 

" And thus they fought all the long day, and never stinted till the 
noble knights were laid to the cold earth ; and ever they fought still 



NOTES 271 

till it was near night, and by that time was there an hundred thou- 
sand laid dead upon the down. Then was Arthur wood [madly] 
wroth out of measure, when he saw his people so slain from him. 
Then the King looked about him, and then was he ware, of all his 
liost and of all his good knights, were left no more on life but two 
knights, that one was Sir Lucan the Butler, and his brother Sir 
Bedivere; and they were full sore wounded. ' Jesu, mercy,' said 
the King, 'where are all my noble knights become? Alas! that 
ever I should see this doleful day, for now,' said Arthur, *I am 
come to mine end. But would to God that I wist where were that 
traitor, Sir Modred, that hath caused all this mischief.' Then was 
King Arthur ware where Sir Modred leaned upon his sword among 
a great heap of dead men. . . . Then the King gat his spear in 
both his hands, and ran toward Sir Modred, crying, ' Traitor, now 
is thy death day come.' And when Sir Modred heard King Arthur, 
he ran unto him with his sword drawn in his hand. And there King 
Arthur smote Sir Modred under the shield with a foin of his spear, 
throughout the body, more than a fathom. And when Sir Modred 
felt that he had his death wound, he thrust himself with the might 
that he had up to the bur of King Arthur's spear. And right so he 
smote his father Arthur with his sword holden in both his hands, on 
the side of the head, that the sword pierced the helmet and the brain- 
pan, and therewithal Sir Modred fell stark dead to the earth. And 
the noble Arthur fell in a swoon to the earth, and there he swooned 
ofttimes. And Sir Lucan the Butler and Sir Bedivere ofttimes hove 
him up ; and so weakly they led him betwixt them both to a little 
chapel not far from the seaside. And when the King was there, he 
thought him well eased." 

95. A death white mist. Cf. the brilliant light in which 
Arthur fought his first battle, with Lancelot by his side. — The 
Coming of Arthur, 9i-133. 

170. It is with this sonorous line that the original Morte d' Arthur 
begins. Malory's account (XXL 5) is as follows : — 

" 'Ah, Sir Lancelot,' said King Arthur, ' this day have I sore missed 
thee. Alas! that ever I was against thee, for now have I my 
death, whereof Sir Gawain warned me in my dream.' Then Sir 
Lucan took up the King the one part, and Sir Bedivere the other 



272 THE PASSING OF ARTHUR 

part, and in the lifting the King swooned, and Sir Lncan fell in a 
swoon with the lift. . . . And therewith the noble knight's heart 
burst. And when the King awoke, he beheld Sir Lncan how he lay 
foaming at the mouth. ... ' Alas ! ' said the King, ' this is to me 
a full heavy sight, to see this noble duke so die for my sake, for he 
would have holpen me, that had more need of help than I. Alas! 
he would not complain him, his heart was so set to help me. Now 
Jesu have mercy upon his soul ! ' Then Sir Bedivere wept for the 
death of his brother. ' Leave this mourning and weeping,' said the 
King, * for all this will not avail me ; for wit thou well, an I might 
live myself, the death of Sir Lucan would grieve me evermore ; but 
my time hieth fast,' said the King. 'Therefore,' said Arthur unto 
Sir Bedivere, ' take thou Excalibur, my good sword, and go with it 
to yonder water side, and when thou comest there, I charge thee 
throw my sword in that water, and come again and tell me what 
thou there seest.' ' My lord,' said Bedivere, 'your commandment 
shall be done, and lightly bring you word again.' 

" So Sir Bedivere departed, and by the way he beheld that noble 
sword, that the pommel and the haft was all of precious stones ; and 
then he said to himself, ' If I throw this rich sword in the water, 
thereof shall never come good, but harm and loss.' And then Sir 
Bedivere hid Excalibur under a tree. And so as soon as he might 
he came again unto the King, and said he had been at the water, 
and had thrown the sword in the water. ' What saw thou there? ' 
said the King. ' Sir,' he said, ' I saw nothing but waves and winds.' 
' That is untruly said of thee,' said the King. ' Therefore go thou 
lightly again, and do ray commandment ; as thou art to me lief and 
dear, spare not but to throw it in.' Then Sir Bedivere returned 
again, and took the sword in his hand, and then him thought sin 
and shame to throw away that noble sword ; and so eft [again] he 
hid the sword, and returned again and told to the King that he had 
been at the water, and done his commandment. ' What saw thou 
there ? ' said the King. ' Sir,' he said, ' I saw nothing but the waters 
wap and waves wan.' ' Ah, traitor untrue,' said King Arthur, ' now 
hast thou betrayed me twice. Who would have weened that thou 
that hast been to me so lief and dear, and thou art named a noble 
knight, and would betray me for the richness of the sword ? But 



NOTES 273 

now go again lightly, for thy long tarrying putteth me in great 
jeopardy of my life, for I have taken cold. And but if thou do 
now as I bid thee, if ever I may see thee I shall slay thee with 
mine own hands, for thou wouldst for my rich sword see me dead.' 
Then Sir Bedivere departed, and went to the sword, and lightly 
took it up, and went to the water side, and there he bound the 
girdle about the hilts, and then he threw the sword as far into the 
water as he might. And there came an arm and a hand above 
the water and met it, and caught it, and so shook it thrice and 
brandished ; and then vanished away the hand with the sword in 
the water. So Sir Bedivere came again to the King and told him 
what he saw. 

" ' Alas! ' said the King, ' help me hence, for I dread me I have 
tarried over long.' Then Sir Bedivere took the King upon his back, 
and so went with him to that water side, and when they were at the 
water side, even fast by the bank hoved a little barge with many 
fair ladies in it, and among them all was a queen, and all they had 
black hoods, and all they wept and shrieked when they saw King 
Arthur. ' Now put me into the barge,' said the King; and so he 
did softly. And there received him three queens with great mourn- 
ing, and so they set them down, and in one of their laps King Arthur 
laid his head, and then that queen said, ' Ah, dear brother, why have 
ye tarried so long from me ? Alas ; this wound on your head hath 
caught overmuch cold.' And so then they rowed from the land, and 
Sir Bedivere cried, ' Ah, my lord Arthur, what shall become of me, 
now ye go from me and leave me here alone among mine enemies ? ' 
' Comfort thyself,' said the King, * and do as well as thou mayst, for 
in nie is no trust for to trust in. For I will into the vale of Avalon 
to heal me of my grievous wound. And if thou hear never more 
of me, pray for my soul.' But ever the queens and ladies wept and 
shrieked, that it was pity to hear. And as soon as Sir Bedivere 
had lost sight of the barge, he wept and wailed, and so took the 
forest." 

174-175. Both Malory and the metrical romance recognize the 
loyalty of Sir Lucan, whom Tennyson disregards. The metrical 
romance, rudely modernized, as in previous quotations, runs at 
this point ; — 



274 THE PASSING OF ARTHUR 

" Sir Lucan and Sir Bedivere 
Between them both the King upheld. 
Forth went the three to a chapel near ; 
The rest lay slain upon the field. 

****** 
All night they in the chapel lay 
There in the hearing of the sea ; 
To Mother Mary did they pray, 
Crying for mercy ruefully. 

****** 
* Sir Lucan, ere my life be sped, 
Lift me up and take me hence.' 
Both his arms Sir Lucan spread. 
And lifted him with reverence. 
But the helpless weight of that fainting head 
And wounded body his strength dispersed ; 
Sir Lucan there was hard bested ; 
He held the King till his own heart burst." 

195. my brand Excalibur. See Gareth and Lynette, Note 
on line 66. 

228. A Virgilian expression (^neid, IV. 285). 

238-239. One of Tennyson's most masterly adaptations of sound 
to sense. Cf. in W. B. Yeats' lyric on The Lake Isle of Innisfree, 
the lines : — 

" I will arise and go now, for always night and day 
I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore." 

246. Cf. Gareth and Lynette, 286-287, and Lancelot and Elaine, 
143-144. 

248. lief: beloved. 

307. the northern morn : the Northern Lights, the Aurora 
Borealis. 

310. So flash'd and fell the brand Excalibur. 

" And never yet in poetry did any sword, flung in the air, flash so 
superbly." — Stopford A. Brooke, Tennyson, 389. 

313-314. The English metrical romance tells no less vividly than 
simply how Excalibur disappeared, " as gleme, away it glente." 

The romance (modernized) continues here: — 



NOTES 275 



"To the King returned he there 
And said : ' Dear Lord, I saw a hand ; 
Out of the water it came all bare, 
And brandished thrice that jewelled brand.' 
' Help me thither to repair.' 
His lord he guided to that strand. 
There rode a masted vessel fair 
Full of ladies, beauteous band. 
Those ladies with all courtesy- 
Took the king their band among, 
And one, that brightest was to see, 
"Wept full sore, her hands she wrung ; 
' Brother,' said she, ' woe is me ! 
From leechcraft hast thou been too long ; 
I wot that greatly grieve th me. 
For thy pains are stark and strong.' 
Then made the knight a rueful sound, 
Weary as he stood and wan : 
' Lord, whither are ye bound ? 
And what errand are ye on ? ' 
Sadly spake that King renowned : 
' I AAill wend to Avalon, 
To find healing of my wound, 
And will come to you anon.' " 

354-360. ** As clear a piece of ringing, smiting, clashing sound as 
any to be found in Tennyson. . . . We hear all the changes on the 
vowel a — every sound of it used to give the impression — and then, 
in a moment, the verse runs into breadth, smoothness, and vast- 
ness ; for Bedivere comes to the shore and sees the great water : — 

' And on a sudden, lo ! the level lake 
And the long glories of the winter moon,' 
• 
in which the vowel o in its changes is used as the vowel a has been 
used before." — Stopford A. Brooke, Tennyson, 389-390. 

361. a dusky barge. See Introduction, pp. 34-35, and The 
Coming of Arthur, 372-390. 

366. Three Queens. See The Coming of Arthur, 266-278. Cf. 
Malory (XXI. 6) : — 
" Thus of Arthur I find never more written in books that be 



276 THE PASSING OF ARTHUR 

authorized, nor more of the very certainty of liis death heard I 
never read, but thus was he led away in a ship wherein were three 
queens, that one was King Arthur's sister, Queen Morgan the fay, 
the other was the Queen of Northgalis, the third was the Queen of 
the Waste Lands." 

383. greaves and cuisses : armour for the lower part of the legs 
and for the thighs. 

385. a rising snn: Tennyson has several times in the Idylls 

likened Arthur to the sun. Cf . The Coming of Arthur, 49(5-497 ; 

Gareth and Lynette, 22; and The Last Tournament, 6G1-6G3. 

There are less direct suggestions in Lancelot and Elaine, 123 and 307. 

408. The old order changetli. 

See The Coming of Arthur, 508, when the same words were used 
for the opening of Arthur's reign. 

422-423. Cf. in Bacon's Advancement of Learning, Bk. I : "Ac- 
cording to the allegory of the poets the highest link of nature's 
chain must needs be tied to the foot of Jupiter's chair." 
427. Avilion, See Gareth and Lynette, Note on line 492. 
428-431. Cf. Odyssey, VI. 42-45, which runs in Cowper's transla- 
tion : — 

"the reputed seat 
Eternal of the gods, which never storms 
Disturb, rains drench, or snow invades, but calm 
The expanse and cloudless shines with purest day. 
There the inhabitants divine rejoice 
Forever." 

435. See Tennyson's early poem. The Dying Swan, and cf. : — 
"From great antiquity, and before the melody of Syrens, the 
musical note of swans hath been commended, and they sing most 
sweetly before their death ; rfor thus we read in Plato, that from 
the opinion of metempsychosis, or transmigration of the souls of 
men into the bodies of beasts most suitable unto their human 
condition, after his death Orpheus the musician became a swan ; 
thus was it the bird of Apollo, the god of music, by the Greeks; 
and an hieroglyphic of music among the Egyptians, from whom 
the Greeks dei'ived their conception." — Sir Thomas Browne: 
Vulgar Errors. 



NOTES 277 

Although it is not true that swans sing a dying song, there is a 
variety, the Cygnus miisicus, whose notes, each occurring after a 
long interval, are said to resemhle the tones of a violin, though 
somewhat higher. 

440. With this haunting line the original Morte cV Arthur closes. 

444-445. Cf. Merlin's "riddling triplets," The Coming of Arthur, 
402-410. 

451. He conies again. 

It is said that the Breton peasants, not more than two centuries 
ago, used to I'aise a passionate cry at their feasts: "No, King 
Arthur is not dead " (" Non le roi Arthur n'est pas mort"). 

So in old Hellas, Achilles was not dead, hut would come again 
from the Islands of the Blest. So in Switzerland the three Tells 
sleep quietly in a cavern near Lucerne until the time has need of 
them. And so with Barharossa of Germany and Roderick of Spain, 
with Charlemagne, with Hiawatha, and many a hero more. But 
the belief in the return of Arthur has been peculiarly persistent. 
Malory, writing in the fifteenth century, says in all seriousness 
(XXI. 7): " Yet some men say in many parts of England that King 
Arthur is not dead, hut had by the will of our Lord Jesu into another 
place, and men say that he shall come again, and he shall win the 
holy cross. I will not say it shall be so, but rather I will say : here 
in this world he changed his life ; but many men say that there is 
written upon his tomb this verse, Ilicjacet Arthurus Rex quondam 
Eexque futurus.'^ " The story, slightly modified," says Rhys {The 
Arthurian Legend, 18), " has lived down to modern times in places 
far apart : sometimes it represents Arthur and his men dozing 
away, surrounded by their treasures, in a cave in Suowdon, till 
the bell of destiny rings the hour for their sallying forth to victory 
over :ho Saxon foe ; sometimes they allow themselves to be seen of 
a simple shepherd, whiling away their time at chess in the cavities 
of Cadbury; and sometimes they are described lying beneath the 
Eildon hills buried in an enchanted sleep." 

469. See Introduction, pp. 49-50. 



QUESTIONS 

GARETH AND LYNETTE 

I (1-177) 

The Sorrow of Queen Bellicent. 

What was Gareth thinking of when he "stared at the spate"? 
Does the word " stared " tell us anything about his thoughts or his 
mood? Why, in line 5, does the rhythm hurry so? How does the 
metrical movement of line 8 carry out the sense? In line 12 what 
is the meaning of "wit"? In line 14 what creature, "kept and 
coax'd and whistled to," is in Gareth's mind ? Is there anything 
farther on that tells? How does the freshet bring Gareth to his 
resolve? In line 13 how does the metre bear out the idea of vacil- 
lation? How do you like, in line 21, the word " ever-highering " ? 
What would "ever-lowering" mean? What characteristics of 
Gawain and Modred were revealed in connection with the tilt 
(25-32) , and how does each knight stand in the estimation of their 
young brother? Does Gareth's mother treat him here as child or 
man? How do you interpret Gareth's parable? Of what is the 
palm symbolical ? Does his mother understand his meaning at 
the first? In lines 62-70 does he abandon his figure or not? 
What seem to you the finest lines in that passage ? Has Tenny- 
son given to King Lot, the traitor, whom Malory tells us was slain 
in a second insurrection against Arthur, a more fitting end? In 
how many ways does Bellicent try to appeal to Gareth ? Does she 
make a mistake in any of these appeals ? What does she mean in 
saying "red berries charm the bird"? And what, in line 85, is 
the construction of " thee "? In line 87 what is the meaning of 
"often " ? How does the use of "often " here compare with that 
of "frequent" in line 122? In line 89 what is the construction of 
" Frights " ? In line 90 what picture comes back to Gareth so that 

278 



QUESTIONS 279 

his mother's own words undo her pleading? In line 93 what is 
the meaning of " comfortable " ? What was there in his mother's 
words to suggest this new parable to Gareth ? Is Bellicent's fresh 
appeal (119-129) a wise one ? What is its effect upon Gareth ? In 
line 124 what is the construction of "himself " ? In line 126 what 
is the meaning of "easeful biding"? How does Bellicent avail 
herself of Gareth's filial expression (131-132) of obedience? In line 
142 what is the construction of "proof"? What do you think of 
Bellicent's condition? Does Gareth's assent prove him deficient 
in princely pride ? How does the rhythm of line 169 express 
Gareth's hesitation ? What was (line 172) his " outward pur- 
pose ' ' ? Wliat does the wind say to Gareth ? What is the mean- 
ing of "still" in line 176? Why is his mother wakeful? Does 
he do right to go without telling her good-by? 

II (178-309) 
Camelot. 

What musical effects do you find in line 180 ? What change 
from slower to more rapid motion do you find in the rhythm of 
the passage 184-193? What are the most poetic alliterations in 
that passage ? What strike you as the truest and finest points in 
this description of a mountain city seen through morning mist? 
Is there any reason, beyond mere picturesqueness, why the poet 
should have young Gareth get his first view of Camelot in such a 
" silver-misty morn " ? (Cf . Pelleas and Ettarre, 541-544.) What 
is your own opinion about Arthur, who was, as most authorities 
agree, delivered to INIerlin in babyhood ? Do you think he was the 
child of a mortal mother, Ygerne, — see The Coming of Arthur, 
139-345, — or do you believe he was of supernatural origin, a 
"changeling out of Fairjdand"? What is Gareth's answer to 
the fears of his companions? Why "plunge old Merlin in the 
Arabian sea " rather than in any other? What parts of the gate- 
way are the keystone and the cornice ? In your own seeing of this 
gateway, what stands out most clearly? How do you account for 
the impression made on Gareth's companion that the gateway 
was alive? What were the "elvish emblemings"? What does 
" seethe " mean here? How does the poet give, in verses 23^235, 



280 G A BETH AND LYNETTE 

an effect of suddeuness ? Have you a guess as to who that " ancient 
man" might be? Are the appearances described in lines 249-251 
natural phenomena, or "glamour"? What does the Seer imply 
in line 253? Why is Gareth anger'd? Is he made angry again 
throughout the adventures related in this idyll? What do you 
get out of lines 281-282? W^hat is the meaning of "brook" in 
line 287 ? What was Gareth's " one white lie " ? How do you like 
his figure of the " little ghost"? What is the trip in grammar in 
line 293? At what, in line 295, is Gareth laughing? How was it 
that those ancient kings "did their days in stone"? In line 290 
what is the antecedent of "Wliich"? What is the meaning of 
"Mage"? Does "ordinance" differ from order in significance 
or effect? Do lines 301-302 give you a distinct picture? What 
is the hall referred to in line 301? (Cf. The Holy Grail, 227-257.) 
What special metrical effects do you notice in lines 303-305? 

Ill (310-430) 
The King's Justice. 

Why, in line 310, the word " ascending " ? What words are lin- 
gering (31(5) in Gai'eth's memory? In line 317 what is the meaning 
of " doom " ? Why was Gareth 

"all in fear to find 
Sir Gawain or Sir Modred " ? 

What, in line 321, is the meaning of " ranged " ? What is the 
meaning, in line 333, of "Whether would ye?" What does the 
woman deprecate in her " Nay, my lord " ? Does Arthur offer her 
" thrice the gold " for each year that King Uther held the land, or 
as a single sum ? What characteristic of Arthur is shown by this 
judgment? Has this second widow any fair cause for hating the 
King? What sort of woman is she? W^hat characteristic of 
Arthur is shown in his reply to her? What is the meaning of 
"humour" in line 369? What is the special beauty of lines 380- 
381 ? Is it really 

"In token of true heart and fealty " 

that Mark sends 
the cloth of gold ? Why is Arthur so angry ? Wht^t is the size of 



QUESTIONS 281 

the hearth ? Where is it situated in the hall ? How is the massive 
projection above it ornamented? Where is Arthur's throne ? Of 
what verb is " pile " (line 397) the subject? What is the meaning 
of "overbrow'd" in line 400? Of "reave" in line 411? Of 
"churl" in line 419? What characteristics of Arthur appear in 
his reception of Mark's gift ? In his treatment of Mark's messenger ? 
What in Mark's character is most repugnant to Arthur? For what 
would the knights go riding away ? 

IV (431-572) 

The Kitchen-Knave. 

Why, line 434, was Gareth's voice " all ashamed " ? How do you 
like Kay's looks? What is Lancelot's chief impression of Gareth? 
What is the taunt in Kay's reply to Lancelot? What is the signifi- 
cance of the rhythm in line 474? In line 478, why did not the poet 
write "all obedience to Sir Kay"? In lines 482-483, what is the 
effect of the alliteration? Who is "the Prophet"? Why is the 
phrase "Gareth was glad" repeated, and placed, both times, at 
the beginning of the line? Of what did Gareth like to hear? 
What is the effect of the rhythm in verse 495? How did Gareth 
earn the respect of the kitchen boys? How would he entertain 
them? What is the effect of the rhythm in line 503? In line 504? 
Why does Bellicent release Gareth from his vow ? How long had 
he served in the kitchen when her message came? Who was the 
messenger? In line 521, what is the construction of "This"? 
What emotion is suggested by the abrupt transition in line 526? 
How do verses 527-531 lend themselves, in metre and in sentence 
structure, to the general excitement of the passage? What sug- 
gests the region of " Satan's foot " to Gareth? Where does Saint 
Peter sit? Is the word " news " used as a plural in modern speech ? 
What spirit does Gareth show in his words to the King? Why does 
Arthur's look make him flush? How long has Arthur known who 
Gareth was? What spirit does Gareth show in lines 545-551? Why 
does he want his knighthood to be kept secret? What is the force 
of the kitchen metaphor (line 561) he merrily uses? Why is Arthur 
half unwilling to yield to Gareth's request? When is Gareth 



282 GARETH AND LYNETTE 

knighted? How does Tennyson's story diifer from Malory's in 
regard to Gareth and Lancelot ? Why did the king bid Lancelot 
cover the lions on his shield? 

V (573-741) 

The Quest Undertaken. 

In line 574, what is the construction of "brow" ? What is the 
colour of the English " May-blossom" — the hawthorn 'J What is 
to be expected from a heroine with hawk-eyes ? In line 577, how 
do the very sounds suggest disdain? What do you think of the 
damsel's address to the King? Are hers aristocratic manners? 
What is the first principle of good-breeding? Why is Arthur 
treated with so little deference by these women who come to ask 
favours of him ? What is the meaning, in line 584, of " lonest hold " ? 
AVhat is the temper of Arthur's reply to the damsel ? In line 595, is 
Lynette speaking coquettishly or haughtily or how ? Is the sound 
of her name well suited to her ? Just what do you understand to 
be the situation of Castle Perilous ? What is the meaning of '" pur- 
port" in line 603? Does the maiden ask for Arthur's best knight 
in this peremptory fashion because her sister's need is so great, or 
her lineage so high? Does Lynette seem to you of romantic or 
practical disposition ? What is the meaning of " from the moment " 
in line 616 ? Does Lynette consider the four knights fools because 
she does not care for poetic allegory, or why? What is the one 
point that concerns her ? In lines 630-631 we are reminded of what 
physical characteristic of Gareth? Why is Kay "groaning like a 
wounded bull "? In what spirit does Gareth speak lines 634r-637, 
— in glee, or irony, or what? How does Arthur at first receive 
Gareth's "rough" and "sudden" appeal? Why does the King 
find it " pardonable " ? What happened to Lynette's face? What 
is the meaning of " either" in line 642? What is the significance 
of the gesture ? How does the metre of verse 645 accord with her 
action? What was" the lane of access"? What is Lynette's 
course out of the hall and down through Camelot? What is the 
beautiful line in the passage 650-656? What is the meaning of 
" gave " in line 651 ? Of "blowing" in line 655? Of " counter " in 



QUESTIONS 283 

line 657 ? What is the ellipsis in the expression 

"and rose 
High that"? 

Wliat does each of Gareth's former attendants 
hold ? What is a " maiden " shield ? In line 667, what is the mean- 
ing of " dropt"? Of " web " in line 668 ? Of "parted " in line 674? 
Of "grain " in line 676? Of " trenchant " in line 678? May there 
be in line 695 a reminiscence (see note on line 359) of the Mahino- 
gion description of Kay? What does Sir Kay mean by his query 
in line 696? To whom does he say "Begone! "? Of whom is he 
speaking in lines 697-700? What does he mean by " peacock'd " in 
line 703 ? What has " God's grace " to do with the conflict Kay pro- 
poses? What insight does Lancelot show in line 712? (Cf. lines 
477-478.) What earlier taunt does Kay repeat in his reply to Lan- 
celot? How is his departure from Camelot a contrast to Sir 
Gareth's? Why does Lyuette linger? What is, from the outset, 
especially offensive to Lynette in the idea of a kitchen-knave ? 
What adjective in her soliloquy reveals her feeling? Do Lynette's 
manners improve? What is the meaning of " Avoid" in line 733? 
Of " shock'd " in line 739? Of " shoulder-slipt " in line 740? Why 
does Tennyson depart from Malory in the extent of Kay's injury? 
What is the effect of the alliteration in line 741 ? 

VI (742-865) 

The Adventure of the Thieves. 

Would you expect Lynette to be considerate of her horse ? Are 
the words of Tennyson's maiden, when she is overtaken, more or 
less offensive than those of Malory's ? Is the answer of Gareth the 
same as the answer of Beauraains? In the response of the maiden, 
what insult does Tennyson add ? What does he add to the knight's 
reply? What is the meaning of "assay" in line 763? Of "be- 
knaved" in line 766? What are we to understand by line 768? 
In line 770, who are " both " ? What is the effect of the allitera- 
tion, line 771, in that hissing letter s? What is it that Lynette 
calls a "spit"? Is Lynette deficient in courage? In what is she 
deficient? Why does Tennyson add this passage, 767-772, to 



284 GARETH AND LYNETTE 

Malory's story ? Do you get a vivid picture of tlie scene described 
in lines 773-780 ? What is a " gloomy-gladed hollow " ? What is a 
" mere"? In what two respects does this mere resemble the eye 
of the great horned owl ? What suggestion is added by the word 
"glared"? AYhat is the metrical effect of line 782? How does 
Gareth play on the word "bound"? Does Sir Beauniains linger 
for the damsel's sake? What does Tennyson omit from Malory's 
account of the fight? What does he add to Malory's account of the 
prisoner? What sounds do you hear in line 79(5? What is the 
meaning of "caitiff " in line 799? Of " wreak'd " in line 800? Of 
"let go" in line 805? Do you see those phosphorescent ghosts 
dancing on the mere? What does the word " flickering" mean to 
you? What the word "grimly"? Does Tennyson find any sug- 
gestion in Malory for the passage 799-807 ? What is the meaning 
of "fain" in line 809? Of "guerdon" in line 810? Why does 
Gareth speak sharply ? Has he ever spoken sharply to the damsel ? 
What is the meaning of "harbourage" in line 813? How does 
Tennyson deviate from Malory in arranging for the lodging ? How 
does Lynette play upon the words "of Arthur's Table"? In line 
817, what is the meaning of "in a sort " ? Of " rout " in line 820? 
Is Lynette at all impressed, in Malory's story or in Tennyson's, by 
Gareth's achievement? What is the meaning of " manor " in line 
825? How far does Tennyson take the account of the feast from 
Malory? How well does Lynette remember Gareth's words in 
Arthur's hall? Why is the lord ashamed? Is Malory's language 
here more definite? Did Lynette enjoy her supper? Why does 
Tennyson have the baron suggest Gareth's return? Is Gareth 
offended? In general, how has Tennyson's treatment of this 
Adventure of the Thieves differed from Malory's? 

warfare. ^" («««-"^») 

Is there any sign of relenting in Lynette ? How does Gareth take 
up her taunt about the ashes? Why does Tennyson leave out 
Malory's story of the combat with the two knights at the ford? 
Why should the stream, at the point where it is guarded by Sir 
Morning-Star, be swift and narrow? In line 886, to what does 



QUESTIONS 285 

"this" refer? What is the meaning of "arc"? What are the 
three colours of the pavilion ? Why are these colours chosen by the 
poet ? Are there other colours that would do as well ? What do you 
hear in the rhythm of line 891 ? Does Lynette's reply to the Morn- 
ing-Star— a reply that carries two insults and one falsehood — 
have in it a qualitj-- that you like ? Is Sir Morning-Star something 
of a poet? Why are his maidens dressed in " gilt and rosy rai- 
ment " ? What more in their appearance is symbolic? Why does 
this knight wear blue armour ? Of what was Gareth thinking as he 
" silent gazed upon the knight " ? What is the meaning of " Glory- 
ing " in line 913? What adds the crowning touch to the beauty of 
this dawn-picture? What does Lynette assume that Gareth is 
thinking of? What is the effect of her taunts upon Gareth's fight- 
ing? Does she cease taimting him when the battle is actually on? 
What is the effect of the alliteration in line 934 ? In line 939, what 
is the meaning of " Shock'd " ? Of " central bridge " ? Why does 
Gareth make Lynette ask for the life of Sir Morning-Star? Does 
she actually ask it? Is there any such gradual softening on the 
part of Lynette in Malory's story as Tennyson depicts? What are 
the first signs of it? Are there any signs of reaction? What is 
the meaning of " unhappiness " in line 972? What was Lynette's 
morning dream ? At what points in the idyll before this (line 982) 
have we heard Gareth laugh? Has Gareth a turn for parables? 
How do you understand the expression (line 985) " Fierce was the 
hearth " ? Why does Gareth derive his parable for Lynette from his 
experiences as kitchen-knave ? Does Lynette speak the full truth 
in lines 993-995 ? How does her pride differ from his ? What is the 
force of " worship" in line 996? Why is Sir Noonday-Sun in red 
armour? What is the meaning of " blows" in line 1003? Do you 
recognize the experience of "flying blots" before the eyes after 
looking at the sun ? What is the value of the repetition in line 1007 ? 
Does this description of the Sun's " cipher face of rounded foolish- 
ness " suggest to you any further reading of the allegory than Mr. 
Fallen's (in Note on line 1001) ? Why should this antagonist so lack 
dignity ? What do you think of this second combat as compared 
with the first? Is the battle long enough and hard enough? What 
sounds do you hear through verses 1014-1021 ? Has there been sus- 



286 GARETH AND LYNETTE 

pense enough before the victory ? Why is Lynette so quiet? What 
is the significance of Gareth's question in line 1028? Does Lynette 
tell the full truth in lines 1029-1031 ? What signs of relenting are 
there in her song? How does her speech deny them? What is a 
bridge " of treble bow " ? Have we had a reflected picture (1062- 
1063) earlier in this idyll ? How do the two passages compare in 
beauty? Is Lynette more encouraging to Gareth before the com- 
bat than usual? For whom does Sir Evening-Star take Gareth, 
and why? How does Lynette's announcement of her champion 
compare with her two previous announcements ? How do you read 
the allegory in lines 1082-1090 ? What is this peculiar strength of 
the antagonist and how do you account for it? As Gareth becomes 
hard beset, what is the conduct of his damsel? How does the 
rhythm of line 1107 echo her " clamouring " ? Is the mock all gone 
from her words? Does she atone for her earlier scoff about 
Gareth's being of Arthur's Table? (See 814-817.) What is the 
significance of the " harden 'd skin " ? What are the *' loud South- 
westerns " of line 1117 ? In line 1118, what is the construction of 
"buoy"? How does this last conflict compare with the others? 
Which of the three is the best fight? Is Lynette's final surrender 
free from a spice of impertinence ? 

VIII (1130-1394) 

The Quest Achieved. 

What is the significance, in Lynette's last song, of trefoil and 
rainbow ? What does she imply by her picture of sunshine after 
rain? What three colours have you seen in the rainbow? Is 
Lynette's apology genuine? Is it ample? What is her excuse? 
What tests of knighthood has Sir Gareth met? Does Tennyson 
add anything to her apology as given by Malory? Is Sir Gareth's 
answer more or less to your liking than the answer of Sir Beau- 
mains? Did all her "evil words" please Sir Gareth? In line 
1144, what is the meaning of the phrase " handle scorn " ? Of " cope 
your quest," in line 1145? Does line 1150 adequately describe 
Lynette's behaviour ? What sort of girl has the poet meant to make 
her and how far has he succeeded? What are her attractive 



QUESTIONS 287 

qualities ? When does she smile on Gareth for the first time ? In 
the opening of her address to him (line 1166) what expression atones 
for what other? How do you understand the words, in line 
1165, " deckt in slowly-waning hues " ? How do you interpret the 
names in lines 1174-1175? Why are "their faces forward all"? 
What is the meaning of " error " in line 1184? Why did Lancelot 
swim the river instead of passing hy ford and bridge? For whom 
does Sir Lancelot take Gareth ? For whom does Sir Gareth take 
Lancelot? What had Gareth just been saying about his ability to 
cope with Lancelot ? Are his words justified by the event? What 
is the meaning of " prick'd " in line 1190? What is the rhythmi- 
cal suggestion of line 1191? How does Gareth take his over- 
throw ? Why does it not amuse Lynette ? Why does Gareth harp 
on the word " unhappiness " and what does he mean by it? 
How does the noble nature of Gareth appear in lines 1210-1214? 
Has Lynette a welcome for Lancelot? What is the meaning of 
•' still " in line 1218? Is LjTiette's temper improved by her recent 
experiences? How do you understand line 1230? Does Lynette 
rejoice in hearing Lancelot praise Gareth ? What is it that puts 
her so out of tune ? Does Tennyson improve on Malory in bring- 
ing in so late the conflict between Lancelot and Gareth ? What is 
the significance of the word " flies " in line 1246? Is it the honey- 
suckle alone that makes this hushed night so fragrant to Lynette ? 
When did she get her last whiff of the kitchen ? What has changed 
her mood from petulant resentment to joy in Gareth's knight- 
hood? What request does she indirectly make of Lancelot? 
What is the full significance of his response? In what fashion 
does she thank him? What is the meaning, in line 1273, of 
"Ramp"? How do you understand the expression "summer- 
wan " in line 1281 ? Do the constellations move in ** counter 
motion to the clouds " ? Was Gareth dreaming of Lynette ? What 
are the metrical effects of lines 1284-1285? Are a falling star and 
a whooping owl usually considered signs of good augury ? What 
is the temperament of Sir Gareth? What has happened to 
LjTiette? Does Gareth understand, or does he think she is, as 
before, trying to frighten him? What is Gareth's answer to her 
anxiety ? What sort of a fighter is Gareth ? What is the meaning 



288 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

of "palling" in line 1324? What is the meaning of line 1330? 
Why would his companions hinder Sir Gareth from blowing the 
black horn ? How do the words " hollow " and " muffled," in lines 
1337-1338, affect you? What are the two night-pictures of this 
passage (1323-1342) ? What are the elements of horror in lines 
1343-11350? What is that crown of " fieshless laughter" upon the 
monster's helmet? Is Gareth frightened? What is the meaning 
of the phrase "blink the terror"? What is the meaning of 
"moon" in line 1380? Why is line 1378 repeated in line 1385? 
What does line 1386 mean ? Whom did Sir Gareth wed ? What is 
the genei-al tone and character of this idyll ? How far is it derived 
from Malory, and how far original with Tennyson? What are its 
most memorable passages? In what ways is it an idyll of youth 
and of spring? In what respects is Gareth a type of the Round 
Table knighthood? What is the condition of Arthur's court at 
this time? 

LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

I (1-27) 
The Lady of Shalott. 

What is the effect of the repetition, in these first two lines, of 
the name Elaine? What renders the phrase "the lily maid of 
Astolat " so musical? What lines from The Ijady of Shalott are 
suggested by " her chamber up a tower to the east " ? AVhat were 
the devices of Lancelot's shield and in what colour were they 
blazoned? In what sense was the shield " sacred " ? How do you 
understand, in line 10, the phrase " of her wit " ? In line 11, what 
is a "border fantasy"? Has "fantasy" the same meaning in 
line 27? Does "yellow-throated," in line 12, refer to the outside 
or the inside of the nestling's throat? Why did Elaine bar her 
tower door? Why does the poem open with this glimpse of Elaine 
guarding Lancelot's shield ? Does this scene belong to the begin- 
ning or the middle of the story ? Have you a clear picture in mind 
of Elaine, — her colouring, bearing, expression? What lines can 
you find in the idyll that relate to her appearance? How does the 
poet make the transition to Guinevere ? 



QUESTIONS 289 

II (28-157) 

Lancelot and Guinevere. 

What is the meaning of "lichen'd " in line 44? What colour is 
suggested? What is the meaning, in line 46, of "four aside"? 
What is the force, in line 47, of "labouring"? Were hour and 
weather appropriate for coming on that " crown 'd skeleton"? 
What, in line 50, is the meaning of "nape "? Of the two similes 
in the passage 34-55, which is the more striking? What qualities 
of the young Arthur appear in this incident? What do you under- 
stand by the word "Divinely" in line 59? Do Arthur's Britons 
or his " heathen " rule the land of England to-day ? Why should 
Arthur, the hero of the conquered race, be the hero of the con- 
querors? Would not Hengist, or Horsa, or King Alfred have 
made Victoria's laureate a better subject? Do you understand 
that King Arthur entered the lists in these Diamond Jousts ? In 
lines 75-76 the I'eference is to what river, and what city? What is 
the meaning of " tale" in line 91? Of " lets" in line 94? What 
is the suggestion of lines 94-95 ? Was there any such suggestion in 
lines 81-83? Is Malory more or less definite about it? Had 
Guinevere meant to hold Lancelot when her eyes " dwelt lan- 
guidly " on him? Does the Queen show languor in line 95? Is 
Lancelot vexed only because he has "lied in vain"? In what 
tone does this interview between the Queen and Lancelot begin ? 
How do Lancelot's words as given by Malory compare witli 103- 
104 ? What do you hear in line 106 ? Does it take anything more 
than an artist in words to write such lines as 107-108? What was 
Lancelot's way of silencing knights? In line 118, what is the 
meaning of devoir ? Is there irony in Lancelot's allusion to 
Arthur as "faultless"? Of what is Guinevere "scornful"? 
How do you understand the phrase "passionate perfection"? 
Does line 155 shed any light upon it? Why does she think that 
Arthur "cares not" for her. (See Guinevere^ 537-538.) How 
much is revealed of Guinevere in her references to Arthur's 
" fancy of his Table Round " and " vows impossible " ? Does " the 
low sun make the colour" for Elaine? Why is the compound 
"tiny-trumpeting" so effective? Why, in line 138, "vermin" 



290 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

instead of insect ? To which of these two does falsehood come 
more readily? Does Guinevere feel, as Lancelot and Gareth do, 
that it is a special shame to lie to Arthur? Where, in this inter- 
view with Lancelot, does Guinevere show the truest understanding 
of the King? Where does she show misunderstanding? Why- 
does Arthur love glory in his knights more than in himself ? 
Does the interview between Guinevere and Lancelot close in peace 
and happiness? Have you a clear picture of Guinevere — colour- 
ing, dress, carriage, expression ? How is her beauty a contrast to 
Elaine's ? 

Ill (158-396) 
Astolat. ^ ^ 

Why is Sir Lancelot " wroth at himself " ? Is it only at himself 
that he is wroth? W^hat is the meaning of line 161? What play 
on words is there in line 163, and what " faintly-shadow'd track" 
of alliteration running on from 163 through 167 ? Does Tennyson 
deviate from Malory at all in the account of Lancelot's departure 
and journey? Why did Tennyson change Malory's name of Tirre 
to Torre ? How old, according to Malory, was Sir Lavaine ? What 
is the effect of the alliteration in verse 174 ? What letter musically 
binds together the five verses following ? What is the suggestion 
of the phrase " Jjivest between the lips " ? Is the Lord of Astolat 
a good judge of men? Does modern hospitality stand ready to 
lend to a distinguished-looking stranger any choice household pos- 
session? How do you like the manners of Tennyson's Sir Torre? 
Are they the manners of Malory's Sir Tirre? Is there any excuse 
for them? In line 201, what is the meaning of "Allow"? Of 
" lustihood," in line 202? In what tone does the Lord of Astolat 
(205) speak of Elaine's wilfulness? In what tone does Lavaine 
interpose? What is the meaning of "played on" in line 208? 
Can you interpret Elaine's dream ? What impresses you, in Lance- 
lot's first evening at Astolat, as the finest mark of his courtesy? 
What are the interwoven alliterations in 211-25-1? Have you a 
clear picture of Lancelot, — colour of eyes and hair, the scar, the 
bearing and expression ? What lines in this idyll contribute toward 
such a picture? How old was Lancelot? Why does Lancelot 
inquire about the dumb servant ? Is this servant worthy of con- 



QUESTIONS 291 

sideration? "What is the meaning of "broke" in line 278? Of 
" rapt" in line 280? Could Lavaine and Gareth have sympathized 
in hero-worship ? How do you understand line 287 ? How much 
did Nennius (cf. Introduction, pp. 21-22) contribute to this mem- 
ory of 

" the war 

That thunder'd in and out the gloomy skirts 

Of Celidon the forest " ? 

What is the "cuirass"? How do you understand lines 292-295? 
Has Arthur been compared to the sun (306-307) before in this idyll ? 
Did he resemble, at Badon, the rising sun in any respect besides 
that of crimson colour? How are Arthur and Lancelot contrasted 
in personal appearance ? What is Lancelot's feeling for King Ar- 
thur ? What does he say of his own part in the battle of Badon ? 
Who is his best listener? How do you understand the expression 
(319) "traits of pleasantry " ? How was Lancelot's " sudden beam- 
ing tenderness " a thing " of manners " ? How was it " of nature " ? 
How did Elaine interpret it? What do you think of passage 330- 
335 ? Why does Elaine rise so early ? What are the metrical effects 
of verses 340-341 ? Why was Lancelot so amazed by the sight of 
Elaine "standing in the dewy light"? According to Malory, did 
this conversation take place at dawn ? What reason does Tenny- 
son give for Lancelot's "sacred fear"? How do you understand 
line 357? Where, in this talk with Lancelot, does Elaine show 
mental alertness? Where does she show girlish gayety? How 
does Lancelot twice address her ? What are the causes of the two 
recorded blushes of this interview? What is the metrical effect of 
392-394 ? How far has the poem now progressed ? 

IV (397-522) 

The Diamond Jousts. 

How does the metre of verse 398 give the impression of long dis- 
tance? According to Malory, where do Sir Lancelot and Lavaine 
take up their lodging at Camelot? What kind of " white rock " is 
this in which the hermit had " scooped " a chapel and a hall, and 
cells and chambers? Who is the architect in the case of " a shore- 



292 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

cliff cave " ? How do you understand lines 406-407 ? Did you ever 
hear "a noise of falling showers " in poplars and aspens ? What do 
you think of the hermit's residence ? What is the most picturesque 
line in passage 411-425? What are the lines of nohlest suggestion? 
Why does Lancelot tell his name to Lavaine ? How did the people 
"talk mysteriously" of Arthur? What is the meaning of "peo- 
pled " in line 428? How do you understand lines 434-439? What 
is the meaning of " tender" in line 440? What is the meaning of 
"crescent" in line 446? (Cf. Gareth and Lynette, 519.) How did 
a knight set " lance in rest " ? What is the metrical effect of verse 
456? How do you understand line 457? What is the effect of the 
alliteration in lines 474-475? What is the meaning of "couch'd" 
in line 477 ? Of " helms " in line 484 ? What seem to you the finest 
points in passage 477-485? How do you understand the phrase 
" lustily holpen " in line 494? How does Lancelot dismount in the 
poplar grove ? In line 511, how do you understand "I dread me " ? 
What is the effect of the alliteration in that verse? What is the 
metrical suggestion of verse 513? How does Malory's hermitage 
compare with Tennyson's ? Was the tournament worth the wound ? 
How closely has Tennyson followed Malory throughout this account 
of the jousting and the wound ? 

V (523-739) 
Gawain's Quest. 

What is the relation of those kings and knights who made up the 
opposing party in the tournament (524-526) to "their great Pen- 
dragon " ? What regions do they represent ? What is the predicate 
for " such an one " (line 530) ? Why does Tennyson (532-533) devi- 
ate here from Malory, who has King Arthur penetrate Lancelot's 
disguise even hefore the tournament? What is the meaning of 
" pass " in line 534 ? How does Tennyson accent the name Gawain ? 
How many syllables does he make in Lancelot ? Why does the King 
select Gawain for this quest? Does Gawain, in Malory's romance, 
have to he sent? In line 543, what is the force of " Ourselves"? 
How do you understand the phrase, in line 545, and "bring us 
where he is"? How does line 547 accord with 441? What was 
the material of the royal canopy ? In 548, is ' ' restless " the perfect 



QUESTIONS 293 

epithet, or can you propose a better? Where is Gawain's seat? 
How do you understand line 552 ? What is the meaning of ' ' tarri- 
ance " in line 567? How far is Guinevere's explanation (574-585) 
true, and how far false ? Did Lancelot speak those words about 
" Our true Arthur" that she gives as his? Does Arthur's answer 
reveal him as that King {Gareth and Lynette, 286) "Who cannot 
brook the shadow of any lie " ? What is the force, in line 591, of 
"fantastical"? Of ''fine" in 592? With what word is it here 
contrasted ? How do the alliterations strengthen the antithesis ? 
What qualities does the King display in telling Guinevere this 
double news of Lancelot? What are the dominant alliterations 
of this passage 585-602 ? What influence does the threefold use of 
the name Lancelot have upon the consonant sounds throughout? 
What is the temperament of Guinevere? What is the metrical 
effect of line 610 ? Is Elaine impressed by the splendour of Gawain's 
armour? Does she make inquiry for her "sweet Lavaine" (339) ? 
How are we told that Elaine -spoke the words " I knew it " in one 
impulsive breath ? How do you understand, in line 626, the phrase 
"a random round"? Was Gawain right in tarrying at Astolat 
for news of the diamond-winner? What is the look of a yew tree? 
(Cf . 9(i3.) Why does the poet have this funeral tree in the garden 
of Astolat? What does Elaine rebel against in Gawain's conduct? 
Why does she apply the epithet "loyal" to Gawain? How does 
Gawain take up the bird-figure of Elaine's reproach? Why had 
she not offered before to show him the shield ? In what sense (661) 
does Gawain call Lancelot " that true man " ? Where, a little later 
on, does he repeat the epithet ? Of what earlier gayety does Elaine's 
merry answer, in line 662, remind us? How does Tennyson's tell- 
ing of Elaine's avowal, to Gawain, of her love for Lancelot, com- 
pare with Malory's? What are, to you, the most appealing and 
beautiful qualities in Elaine ? What is the significance, in line 678, 
of Elaine's bearing? Is Gawain correct (685-(J86) in his deeming? 
Was Gawain right in leaving quest and diamond with Elaine ? What 
touch of cynicism is in his words ? In what sense does Gawain use 
the phrase " the courtesies of the court " ? What qualities of Ten- 
nyson's Gawain are suggested in 696-700? Does Gawain give (707) 
his true reason for leaving the diamond with Elaine ?• Does line 



294 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

709 put his head in jeopardy? Does Gawain deserve rebuke for 
disobedience ? What had been the King's exact cliarge ? Why was 
Gawain "all in awe"? What is the meaning (715) of the phrase 
" twenty strokes of the blood " ? How does Gawain wear his hair? 
What various meanings are packed into line 717 ? Why was Elaine 
"predoom'd " by most " as unworthy " ? What was the intention 
of the old dame who told the Queen ? Does line 727 refer to Guine- 
vere's real feeling or to what she said ? What is the irony in line 
728? What is wormwood? What is Guinevere's bearing during 
these days ? Has she more pride than Elaine ? 

VI (740-981) 
Elaine's Quest. 

What sort of ways does Elaine have with her father? Does her 
father understand in her request more than she utters ? What is 
Elaine's view of Ga wain's character and conduct? What argu- 
ments does she urge in support of her petition ? What argument 
has most weight with her father? What part of speech is "wit" 
in line 760 ? What is the meaning of " fain " in line 767 ? Who has 
brought slanderous rumours (769-770) from the Court to Astolat ? 
Why does the Lord of Astolat say: "Nay, I mean nothing"? 
What had Elaine done or looked? In what tone does the father 
give permission? Is it a strange permission for him to give? 
What is the meaning of " her suit allow'd " ? In what spirit does 
Elaine make ready for her journey? What is the metrical effect 
of verse 781 ? What colour is " roan " ? Do " curvet ' ' and ' ' caper ' ' 
mean the same? Wliat is the season of the year? What season 
was it in Gareth and Lynette ? What was the matter with "good 
Sir Torre " ? Had anything occurred to put him into "his moods " ? 
How many syllables does Tennyson make in Camelot? What is 
the meaning of " casque " in line 800? Of " battle-writhen " in line 
807? Where has line 811 occurred before? Is the picture of Lance- 
lot asleep (807-809) an engaging one ? Is his waking more attrac- 
tive ? Why did Lancelot's eyes glisten ? At what point, in Malory's 
telling of the story, does Elaine swoon ? What do you think of the 
figure in line 825 ? Of that in line 844 ? \Vhat is the meaning, in 
line 851, o^" forebore him " ? What are " simples " ? What is the 



QUESTIONS 295 

meaning of the word "straiten'd" in line 870? What is it that 
makes those two lines, 871-872, miforgettable ? Whose face was it 
that made by its bright image "a treacherous quiet" in Lancelot's 
heart ? Why was that quiet treacherous ? How does the epithet 
"bright" bear on the following simile? What is the force of the 
word "ghostly" in line 880? What is the force of "Beam'd " in 
line 881? What did the " rough sickness" mean? In what ways 
is the simile of passage 889-891 a good one? What is the meaning 
of "burthen" in line 898? Who are the three that ride back to 
Astolat ? Is any one missing from the party ? What is the mean- 
ing of the words 

"I make 
My will of j'ours" ? 

Has Elaine been likened to a ghost before ? Have ghosts usually 
" the power to speak"? Does Lancelot suspect her wish? What 
startled her into speech ? Did Maloiy's Elaine tell her love more 
or less easily ? How do you understand line i^K)3 ? Does Lancelot 
deal wisely with Elaine in his answers ? Has he reason to speak 
bitterly of the world ? Is his apostrophe, 935-938, mediieval or mod- 
ern in tone? Would Guinevere have been pleased, had she heard 
Lancelot speak 949-950? What does he offer to do for Elaine? 
Does Malory's Lancelot offer more or less? Does Tennyson's 
Elaine receive her answer precisely as Malory's Elaine receives 
hers ? Where was the father meanwhile ? To what that Lancelot 
has said does he refer in lines 964:-9(35 ? Does he speak resentfully 
to Lancelot ? Does the Lord of Astolat blame his daughter ? What 
sort of discourtesy would he have had Lancelot use to Elaine? 
What is the meaning of Lancelot's reply to him? AVhere did 
Elaine spend the day? What added to the anguish of her last 
sight of Lancelot? Was the "one discourtesy he used" of any 
avail? 

VII (982-1154) 
Dole in Astolat. 

What earlier picture in the poem does line 982 call up ? Could a 
mother have dealt more gently and wisely with Elaine than her 
father does? Has he always dealt gently and wisely with her? 



296 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

(Of. 1104-1105.) Why did Tennyson deviate from Malory in re- 
spect to the presence of both brothers at Astolat ? What is it that 
gives such dignity to these closing scenes in "the life of Elaine? 
Does her rejected love seem to her or to her family a matter of 
humiliation? (Cf. 1057-1058, and 1083-1084.) Is she more lonely 
when left alone ? In what lies the beauty of lines 992-993 ? How 
do you understand the phrase "had power upon her," in line 994? 
What is meant by evening's "sallow-rifted glooms " ? How do you 
understand, in line 999, the word " make " ? What three words are 
repeated over and over in Elaine's song? How many times does 
each of the three occur? What phrase is repeated? What line is 
repeated ? AVhat progress of feeling is marked by the changes in 
its rhyming line ? On whom does the song call at first ? On whom 
does the song call at last? Why is the " fiery dawning wild with 
wind" in harmony with the song? How had love dawned on 
Elaine's heart? What has the poet said before of dawn in Elaine's 
tower-chamber? Would the word " haste " be as good as " hurry " 
in line 1017? What is the effect on you of that whole passage 1012- 
1019? Is the scene like Elaine? Is the face on which flares that 
blood-red dawn like hers? Is it ecstasy of love or. agony of death 
that so transforms her? Why is this excitement, this exaltation, 
more startling in her than in another? Did you ever have the ex- 
perience of lines 1020-1022 ? What succeeds to Elaine's excitement ? 
What is the meaning of "still" in line 102G? Of "curious" in 
line 1028 ? What river is it ? In these memories of childhood does 
Elaine appear " so very wilful " ? Is it more like child or woman 
that she dreams of her reception at the palace of the King? What 
is the contrast, in her mind, in the way in which Gawain and 
Lancelot will look upon her? Did Gawain bid her "a thousand 
farewells " ? What had been the effect upon her of Lancelot's one 
discourtesy? Is line 1051 natural in Elaine? What is the stress 
on "herself" in the next line, — the Queen as the greatest, or the 
unkindest, or what ? Does she judge rightly of " the gentle court " ? 
In what tone does her father answer her ? Would the Lord of As- 
tolat have spoken of Lancelot as a " fellow," or is that one of Ten- 
nyson's modern touches? What do you understand by " heave and 
move" in line 1059? Why is Lavaine silent? What is the syntax 



QUESTIONS 297 

of the phrase ** Give me good fortune " ? Had Elaine heard already 
the reports concerning Lancelot and Guinevere ? Does her father 
take the right way " to break the passion in her " ? What is it (see 
1090-1091) that his words, if believed, must have broken in her? 
Do lines 1080-1082 come naturally from Elaine ? Is the Lancelot 
she loves the real Lancelot? What is the meaning of "pass " in 
line 1084? ^^^lat sins has Elaine to confess? Who, in Malory's 
telling, is the writer of Elaine's letter ? Why is there a peculiar 
sympathy between Elaine and Lavaine ? Does Elaine still keep her 
coaxing ways with her father ? Why do her thoughts dwell so upon 
the Queen? How do you understand lines 1124-1125? To whom 
did the passing of those ten mornings seem so " slow " ? Why does 
Tennyson have the servant dumb? In Malory's story, does he 
speak ? Of what quality is a lily the emblem ? What did they give 
Elaine for canopy? What is the meaning of "parted " in line 1145? 
"Oar'd" in line 1147? Is the picture of Elaine upon the barge a 
sad one ? What are the elements of earthly beauty, and what of 
spiritual, in that picture ? 

VIII (1155-1418) 

" Silent unto Camelot." 

But is it Camelot ? Why has Lancelot waited so long before giv- 
ing the diamonds to Guinevere ? How are the messenger's manners 
at variance with his real thought of Guinevere ? What betrays the 
Queen's emotion? What is the force of "courtly" in line 11G9? 
What was the " summer side " of the palace ? What do you think 
of Lancelot's compliment in lines 1176-1178 ? Is he satisfied with 
it himself? Is he more or less eloquent in lines 1179-1181? AVhat 
is the significance of the Queen's action in 1190-1193? What are 
the several daggers in her reply? Which stabs deepest? How 
do you understand lines 1215-1216? What does the Queen know of 
pearls in connection with Elaine ? Are pearls a natural emblem of 
Elaine ? and diamonds of Guinevere ? How does Guinevere fling 
back Lancelot's compliment? What light is thrown on Guine- 
vere's character by her treatment of Lancelot's gift? Is this inci- 
dent in Malory's tale? What is the metrical effect of line 1228? 



298 LANCELOT AND ELAINE 

What is the picture? Is Sir Lancelot angered? Why does the 
poet choose this moment for the passing of the barge ? Why does 
it pass over the very spot where the diamonds have just been flung 
away ? What are the values of the simile in lines 1233-1235 ? How 
does Tennyson deviate from Malory in telling of the arrival of the 
barge? Is the "myriad-wrinkled" face (169) of that dumb oars- 
man more haggard than its wont ? Was it "hard and still " when 
he left Astolat? What did Arthur's people know of "the Fairy 
Queen"? What is the meaning of "girt" inline 1253? How do 
you understand the phrase " From the half-face to the full eye"? 
Why did Arthur select Percivale and Galahad to bear Elaine into 
the hall? Was Elaine's dream of her reception at the court ful- 
filled ? In Malory's telling, who espied the letter in Elaine's hand ? 
How does Elaine's letter, as Tennyson gives it, compare with the 
letter recorded by Malory? Does Arthur's court prove itself 
"gentle" (1053) in the way it listens to the letter? What is the 
meaning of "freely " in line 1280? What is there in Lancelot's 
speech that may well make the Queen wince ? How do you under- 
stand line 1297 and line 1298? How apt is the figure in line 1299? 
Why do the Queen's eyes fall before Lancelot's? Was he right 
about Elaine's love (1306-1308)? Can you describe it as it was", 
still keeping the metaphor of fire ? What are " the narrow seas " ? 
What is, in line 1316, the meaning of " worship " ? What shrine is 
that referred to in lines 1319-1320? Was Lancelot usually sad? 
Would it have been a comfort to Elaine to know that she should be 
buried with " mass, and rolling music, like a queen " ? What is the 
contrast in lines 1326 and 1327 ? What was best in Arthur's devices 
for Elaine's tomb? What is the ^-neaning, in line 1337, of " Disor- 
derly " ? Why did Lancelot answer the Queen " with his eyes 
upon the ground " ? Does Arthur invite his confidence ? What line 
do you like best in the King's address to him ? Is there evasion in 
any line of Lancelot's reply? Should King Arthur of the Round 
Table, he of all men, describe life as (1371) "our dull side of 
death"? How does Lancelot, by the light of Elaine's love, see 
Guinevere's (1382-1387)? Does Elaine have her farewell? What 
is the force of " crescent " in line 1389? Why should his own name 
shame him ? What suggestions are in this passage associated with 



QUESTIONS 299 

The Lady of the Lake ? Does not Lancelot know the location of 
that " dusky^mere " ? Why "dusky," and how — 1415— "for- 
gotten " ? WTiat is the core of Lancelot's penitence ? What is the 
best of his soliloquy ? What is the meaning of the last line ? T\Tiat 
is the general tone and character of this idyll ? How does it com- 
pare with Gareth and Lynette ? How far is it derived from Malory, 
and how far original with Tennyson ? How well is the story con- 
structed? What pictures remain with you, and what lines? In 
what ways is it an idyll of midsummer? What is the condition 
of Arthur's court at this time? 



THE PASSING OF ARTHUR 

The object of the questions grouped above has been to fix the 
attention of careless readers — as are we all — more closely upon 
the idylls under discussion. In case of The Passing of Arthur, 
there is such epic splendour in the text, the poem is so great, that 
any questioning process in the class room might well give way to 
reading aloud and to literal "recitation." If the centre of the 
idyll, the original Morte d' Arthur (170-440), should be learned, in 
whole or even in passages, by heart, a series of questions would be 
found more than ever an impertinence. 



LIST OF REFERENCE BOOKS 



This list, it hardly needs to he said, is selective, giving only a 
few of the hest hooks under each of the first two divisions, and no 
more than a few suggestions for initial reading under the third. 

Tennyson 

Brooke, Stopford A. Lord Tennyson : His Art and Relation to 
Modern Life. New York, Putnam, 1894. (Over one-fourth of 
the hook is given to the Idylls of the King.) 

Dixon, William M. A Tennyson Primer. New York, 1896. (Con- 
tains a valuable bibliography.) 

Knowles, James. A Personal Reminiscence. In the Nineteenth 
Century, January, 1893. (Quoting, with other interesting mat- 
ter, a few significant sentences of Tennyson's about the origin 
and meaning of the Idylls. This issue of the Nineteenth Cen- 
tury is in part a Tennyson memorial number, opening with 
Swinburne's magnificent threnody and containiug, in an arti- 
cle by Frederic W. H. Myers on Modern Poets and the Mean- 
ing of Life, an especial tribute to Tennyson.) 

Luce, Morton. Handbook to the Works of Alfred Lord Tennyson. 
London, 1895. (Contains a close study of the Idylls, involving 
a question of their unity.) 

Tennyson, Alfred (Lord). A Memoir by his Son. 2 vols. New 
York, Macmillan, 1897. (The authoritative biography.) 

Tennyson, Alfred (Lord). Poems. (The standard edition is pub- 
lished by the Macmillan Company, London and New York. 
An edition in 12 vols., 1899, called " The Life and Works of 
Alfred Lord Tennyson," gives in the first four of those volumes 
the Memoir by Tennyson's son.) 

Van Dyke, Henry. Poems by Tennyson. Boston, Ginn, Athen?eum 
Press Series, 1903. (The collection of poems is prefaced by 
300 



LIST OF REFERENCE BOOKS 301 

over one hundred pages of introductory matter, including — 
pp. cxv-cxxii — a selective Tennyson bibliography.) 

Van Dyke, Henry. The Poetry of Tennyson. New York, Scribner's, 
1889. (Including a careful study of the Idylls of the King.) 

Waugh, Alfred. Alfred Lord Tennyson : A Study of his Life and 
Work. New York, Macmillan, 18!)6. (Perhaps the best of the 
briefer biographies, though Andrew Lang's [Modern English 
Writers Series], Sir Alfred Lyall's [English Men of Letters 
Series], and A. C. Benson's [Little Biographies] have their 
respective merits.) 

Idylls of the King 

Alford, (Dean) Henry. Critique on the Idylls of the King in the 
Contemporarij Review, January, 1870. (Presenting the alle- 
gorical interpretation which the author. Dean of Canterbury 
and one of Tennyson's Cambridge friends, implies had the 
sanction of the poet: "This exposition, which is not, we beg 
to say, a mere invention of our own.") 

Elsdale, Henry. Studies in the Idylls. London, King, 1878. (An 
exposition of the allegory.) 

Jones, Richard. The Growth of the Idylls of the King. Philadel- 
phia, Lippincott, 1895. (A study of the Idylls along the line 
of early copies, manuscript revisions, text variations, etc.) 

Littledale, Harold. Essays on Lord Tennyson's Idylls of the King. 
London, Macmillan, 1893. (A literary discussion of the Idylls 
one by one.) 

Maccallum, M. W. Tennyson's Idylls of the King and Arthurian 
Story from the Sixteenth Century. New York, Macmillan, 
1894. (Especially good in its review of Arthurian literature 
since Malory.) 

Fallen, Conde Benoist. The Meaning of the Idylls of the King. 
New York, American Book Company, 1904. (A little volume 
amplifying a magazine article which received Tennyson's 
approval.) 

Rolfe, William J. Tennyson's Idylls of the King. 2 vols. Boston, 
Houghton, 1896. (An annotated edition of all the Idylls.) 



302 LIST OF REFERENCE BOOKS 



The Arthurian Legend 

Furnivall, F. J. Le Morte Arthur, London, Macmillan, 1864. 
(An edition, from a manuscript of the fifteenth centurj-, of an 
English Arthurian poem, somewhat earlier, based on French 
sources.) 

Giles, J. A. Six Old English Chronicles. London, Bell, Bohn Li- 
brary, 1896. (Including the histories, translated from the Latin, 
of Gildas, Nennius, and Geoffrey of Monmouth.) 

Guest, Lady Charlotte. Mabinogion. '6 vols. London, 1838. 
(A translation of old Welsh tales contained in the Red Hook 
of Ilergest.) 

Gurteen, S. H. The Arthurian Epic. New York, Putnam, 1895. 
(Valuable for its review of the early Arthurian literature.) 

Lanier, Sidney. The Boys' King Arthur. New York, Scribner's, 
1880. (This book, together with Lanier's The Boys' Mabino- 
gion, should be put in all school libraries and recommended 
to boys and girls of imagination.) 

Madden, (Sir) Frederic. Layamon's Brut or Chronicle of Britain; 
A Poetical Semi-Saxon Paraphrase of The Brut of Wace, with 
Literal Translation, Notes and Glossary. 3 vols. London, 
Society of Antiquities, 1847. (Curious reading.) 

Malory, (Sir) Thomas. Le Morte Darthur. (The first ten editions 
are enumerated in the Introduction, pp. 41-45. The first critical 
edition was that of Thomas Wright, 3 vols., 8vo, 1856. The 
most popular modernized edition is the Globe, New York, 
Macmillan, ed. by Sir Edward Strachey, eleven tijues reprinted 
from 18fi8 to 1891. The Temple Classics edition, too, 4 vols., 
London, Dent, 1898, ed. by Israel Gollancz, is deservedly a 
favourite. The scholar's edition is that of H. Oskar Somraer, 
folio, 3 vols., London, Nutt, 1889-1891.) 

Mead, W. E. Selections from Sir Thomas Malory's Morte Darthur. 
Boston, Ginn, Athenaeum Press Series, 1897. (Giving, with a 
scholarly introduction, the main portion of six of Malory's 
best books. This volume includes the story of Elaine and of 
the Passing of Arthur, but not the story of Gareth.) 

Newell, W. W. King Arthur and the Table Round. 2 vols. Bos- 



LIST OF REFERENCE BOOKS 303 

ton, Houghton, 1897. (The greater part of the book consists 
of Arthurian tales condensed and translated from the French 
metrical romances of Crestien de Troyes.) 

Rh^s, John. Studies in the Arthurian Legend. Oxford, Clarendon 
Press, 1891. (A discussion, by the Oxford professor of Celtic, 
of the mythological elements in the story of Arthur, whom be 
takes to be a Culture Hero.) 

Weston, Jessie L. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. New York, 
The New Amsterdam Book Company, IIXX). (A Middle-English 
Arthurian metrical romance retold in modern prose of poetic 
quality. All Miss Weston's Arthurian work, both in transla- 
tion and criticism, will richly reward the reader. Especially 
fruitful is hc.T study on The Lef/end of Sir Lancelot du Lac, 
London, Nutt, 1901, together with its appendix. The Three 
Days' Tournament, 1902.) 

Wheeler, I). H. Byways of Literature. New York, Funk & Wag- 
nails, Standard Library, 25 cts., 1883. (Containing an essay 
on T/ie Lef/ends of Kitif/ Arthur, which states, simply and 
clearly, the pros and cons for his historic existence.) 



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